The Return of Ra
by Admiral
Summary: Ra has returned, and the SGC must fight a desperate battle to save a world from his deadly new ally. NOMINATED FOR THE BEST ACTIONADVENTURE STORY AWARD AT THE SG1 FANFICTION AWARDS SITE! Shameless plug. :
1. Mirror, Mirror

**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Sci-Fi Originals, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**Author's Notes:** _To those of you who are experts in Egyptian Mythology: I am not sure of the gender of the god Sia because my research material does not specify one way or the other. I have presumed her to be female for the purposes of this story. If I am wrong I apologize in advance._

**The Return of Ra: "Mirror, Mirror"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

The Stargate sat alone in the wide, dark chamber, as it had for centuries since it had been abandoned by its owners. The room was caked with dust and cobwebs, disturbed only once and only slightly in recent weeks by the first travelers to walk through in a millennium. When their work was done, the device was left alone again, keeping a silent vigil, waiting for the time when it would again bring forth visitors from far away.

It didn't take long at all. One day, the stillness was again broken by a loud _kachung_, a sound that echoed through the empty space. Again and again the noise sounded, until the styluses that ringed the Stargate were all lit up. A second later, energy rushed out of the 'Gate with a loud _whoosh_, then collapsed back in, leaving a shimmering wall of light that resembled the surface of a clear pool reflecting the light of the sun. Soon that light was eclipsed as an automated signal in the 'Gate's circuitry closed an iris of titanium and trinium in front of the event horizon. Thus enclosed, nothing could get through the Stargate and into the chamber. This became self-evident when something impacted on the shield with a loud thump.

Had the original users of the Stargate been there to witness this, they might have written off the object as destroyed, yet they would have been surprised to suddenly be assaulted by a deafening boom, accompanied by the flight of the iris's segments, propelled headlong into the room to crash against and embed themselves in the walls. If they had survived such fury, they would have noted that the pool of light shone a bright crimson for a second before settling back to its original hue.

Then, these witnesses would have seen the return of the visitors who had last used the device, five figures in strong armor and carrying weapons that functioned as both staffs and firearms. They would have noted the oddity of these strangers being female when most of their contemporaries were male, and might have felt dread as their cold eyes swept through the dust of the chamber, set flying with the shock of the explosion.

But there was no one to witness any of this, which was important to the plan. The events that had taken place here had to remain secret for as long as possible. The leader of the visitors realized this, and would not stay a second longer than necessary to assess the results of the assault, but what she saw pleased her greatly.

Pieces of the iris had been driven at least five feet into the far wall, while others were bent and twisted by less direct impact with other walls. The dust had been completely blown off the ramp that led into the 'Gate, and most of what dust had been in the blast radius had been thrown into the air and was gathering in the far corners and edges of the floor. The Stargate itself was not damaged, and could still be used to transport people and things to and from this world. Most important of all, had anyone been in the chamber when the iris was destroyed, that and the events that followed would have been the last they ever witnessed.

She smiled with pride. It was a shame to destroy the iris, of course, since they had put so much time and effort into constructing it exactly as the Tau'Ri had constructed theirs, but that was the point of this experiment. Now they knew the Earth Stargate could be breached, without sending an army into the mountain complex that housed it. The ancient Stargate on this dead world had been chosen well, situated as it was in a chamber similar in size and shape to the Humans' "'Gate Room". With the success of this test, one phase of the ultimate plan was ready to be implemented.

"We must report our triumph to the Goddess." She said. "Open the _Chapaa'aii._"

The dialing device had been moved out of the expected blast area and had thus survived. One of the female Jaffa went to it and dialed the return address. The Stargate opened a final time, and the group went through.

With them gone, the chamber was abandoned once more, and the Stargate within resumed its lonely vigil.

* * *

Meanwhile, a galaxy away, Cytorrak of Kanos yelled "Tok'Ra, _Kree!_" to his fellow warriors. They were in a race, one that they were on the verge of losing. Cytorrak had finally gotten them to their destination, an ancient temple on a long abandoned world, but at a heavy cost. Four in number now, they had been twenty when they entered the Stargate near the newest Tok'Ra home base. Their mission had been a simple one, but so important that their leaders had taken no chances, sending a large force to accomplish it. Cytorrak had been thankful for their foresight. Though he had lost most of his force, had the usual small team been sent they would not have gotten this far.

No one could have foreseen that they would be ambushed at the 'Gate on the other side, by Jaffa Cytorrak had heard of but never fought in battle. Selket Guards: tall, strong women in modified Jaffa armor, with headdresses that looked like scorpions were resting on their heads, their foreclaws forming chinstraps around the women's visible faces. Ten of them had formed a perimeter around the opening to the 'Gate, and fired their staff weapons as each Tok'Ra emerged. Cytorrak was hit first, but had managed to dodge so that only his side was burned, but by the time the entire group had come through twelve were dead and all the rest were wounded. Four more were killed in the ensuing escape as the Tok'Ra fought through the line.

They had been running ever since. If the Selket Guards were here, that meant that one of the most powerful and dangerous System Lords there were had a use for the device the Tok'Ra had come for, and that made Cytorrak's mission all the more important.

He led his hurting force inside the crumbling ruin, recalling the layout from memory as they traversed the corridors within. The Selket Guards were hot on their heels, not firing their staff weapons to prevent the walls from caving in on them. Both sides were now down to _zat'n'ktels_ for the close quarters battle. The two Tok'Ra in the rear were firing indiscriminately behind them, trying to bring down some of their pursuers with perseverance and luck.

_There!_ He could see the room that the device was in, expecting it to be closed and locked by ancient but secure measures.

He was shocked to see that the doors to the chamber were wide open. They were too late.

Bringing up his staff weapon, past caring if the whole building fell and killed them all, Cytorrak charged into the room screaming, aiming his weapon at the device they had come to retrieve, now with the desperate goal of destroying it. The Jaffa standing near the device stood still, allowing the unseen Jaffa by the door to handle the attackers. _Zat'n'ktel_ blasts felled three of the Tok'Ra. Cytorrak fought the effects of the first shot, trying with all his might to stay conscious, but unable to prevent the effects on the rest of his body. His staff weapon fell from his useless arms, and he collapsed to his knees as the Jaffa by the device approached. She wore a different headdress from the others, a full helmet with the head of a black cat. The helmet's eyes glowed red as the Jaffa stood right in front of Cytorrak. With a powerful thrust the Jaffa drove the claws of her gauntlet into his chest, and Cytorrak of Kanos screamed a last wail of agony as they slashed through his heart. Then she walked away, as multiple _zat'n'ktel_ blasts rained down on the prone bodies of the Tok'Ra, making sure they were all dead.

With the enemy vanquished, the Jaffa resumed their mission. They gathered up the artifact and brought it back to the Stargate, intent on bringing it back to their Goddess.

Another phase of the great plan was ready.

* * *

"Incoming Traveler!" The technician in the control room announced. "Unscheduled Offworld Activation!"

General George Hammond was in the briefing room with SG-12 when he heard the announcement. He immediately went to the intercom and ordered: "Close the iris."

Eaves of powerful metal converged and closed tight just as the wormhole opened. Now no one could come through without identifying themselves.

"Incoming signal," the techie announced. "It's the Tok'Ra."

Hammond sighed, tempted not to let them through. Though the Tok'Ra had been good friends to the human race, they rarely seemed to pay social calls. More likely, they would step through the 'Gate and bring more bad news about the war with the Goa'uld.

_Oh, well,_ he thought, _no one said this job would be easy_. "Open it up."

The iris retracted, leaving the event horizon open. Soon two figures emerged. George was pleased to see that one was his old friend Jacob Carter, father to Major Samantha Carter and current host to the symbiote Selmak. He was also shocked to see that he had come with Garshaw of Belote, the woman who was the principle leader of the Tok'Ra. If she had come personally to the SGC, then whatever bad news there was had to be horrendous indeed.

He went to the 'Gate Room and met them at the bottom of the ramp. "Jacob! Its good to see you again." He offered his hand and Jacob/Selmak took it with a smile.

"Good to see you, too, George. How is Sam doing?" The part of him that was Jacob would never stop worrying about his daughter, no matter how busy his current role in the cosmic scheme of things kept him.

"She's fine. SG-1 is on leave right now, so she and the others are off base."

"You may wish to recall them," came the reply, and George could tell that Selmak had asserted control. The change had become more fluid. Had he not been paying close attention the General might have missed it. It had been subtle, no glowing eyes or obscured voice, just a swift change of bearing.

"I see." Hammond said. He didn't really, but he knew an explanation would come in time. He turned to his other visitor. "A pleasure to see you again, Garshaw."

"A pleasure to see you as well, General Hammond." Garshaw said with a smile, then her demeanor changed as well. "Are your people far from the base?"

Hammond thought about it for a moment. SGC team members had to be available for recall at all times, so he knew where the members of SG-1 were. Teal'c hadn't left the base, and was probably meditating in his quarters or something. Colonel Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter had not had any special plans, so could probably be reached at their homes off-base. "No, I don't think so. I can get them back. How important is this?"

This time Garshaw's symbiote fully asserted itself. Her voice distorted to a low, serious tone as she said: "It could mean the end of us all."

* * *

"Dad!" Sam Carter exclaimed as she walked into the briefing and saw him sitting at the conference table. He stood and approached and they hugged each other close with smiles on their faces. When they broke up, Carter noticed her father's traveling companion. "Garshaw. I'm surprised to see you. Where's Martouf?"

"He is overseeing the evacuation of our base." She responded. "It's annoying really. We had barely set up there, but we could not take the chance of remaining after what we have learned."

"We are apparently facing a new threat, Major Carter." Teal'c said in his usual deadpan.

"One that may require the resources of this entire command," General Hammond elaborated. "I've also recalled Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. They should be here momentarily."

Carter sighed and looked at her father. "Couldn't you bring good news for once?"

Jacob smiled and said: "What? My handsome face and witty charm not enough for you?"

The Carters chuckled as O'Neill and Jackson walked into the room. "Uh-oh," O'Neill said as he spotted their two guests. Jackson was a little slower on the uptake.

"Garshaw? Jacob? What are you doing here?"

"They were just about to tell us." Hammond said, bringing the meeting to order. "If everyone will be seated, we can begin."

Everyone took seats around the table and Garshaw began the briefing. "Two days ago we sent a force of Tok'Ra to an abandoned world to recover a device our intelligence network had reason to believe had been left there. The target world was not thought to be a danger and was not known to be a Goa'uld stronghold, but the force never returned, and now it appears our assessments of its disposition were wrong."

Jacob continued, removing a holographic projection device from a pocket in his clothes. "When we lost contact and the team failed to return we sent a probe through the Stargate and it recorded these images." He set the device on the table and turned it on. In the air in front of them there was a moving image of the ground by an ancient ramp, looking as if they were hovering over the entrance to a Stargate. Soon the view shifted to several bodies on the ground, then zoomed in on a few of them, some Tok'Ra, the others strange-looking Jaffa. After looking closely, O'Neill figured out what the problem was.

"Are those women?" He asked. "And are they wearing lobsters on their heads?"

"Scorpions." Teal'c answered, with a hint of scorn in his voice. "They are Selket Guards." Jacob and Garshaw nodded in confirmation.

"Selket?" Carter said.

"Egyptian funerary goddess." Jackson explained. "A burial icon. One of the goddesses depicted as watching over King Tut's grave."

"Selket Guards are not typical Jaffa." Teal'c said, bringing a contemporary note to the explanation. "Their System Lord values stealth and guile over open battle. They are experts in unconventional combat tactics, what you would call guerilla warfare. If they risk revealing themselves in battle, then their Lord must be planning to conduct some major offensive."

"So we're dealing with a new Gould threat." Hammond said. "Who is it?"

"It is the Goa'uld Sia." Jacob answered.

"Sia?" Jackson said.

"Know her, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.

"Well, she's supposed to be the personification of the mind and intelligence in general. She's the closest thing to a god of wisdom that the Egyptians had in their various myths."

"In a sense Daniel Jackson is correct." Garshaw said. "Sia is probably the most brilliant of the System Lords, a scientist as well as a dictator. She is known for executing complex plans to destroy her enemies or bring them under her heel. It is nearly impossible to discern her motivations or plans before she begins to enact them. Every spy the Tok'Ra have tried to insinuate into her order has disappeared without a trace. There are other System Lords who genuinely fear her sheer genius."

"So basically we're dealing with the Gould version of Major Carter?"

Carter looked at O'Neill and raised an eyebrow, not knowing whether to feel flattered or insulted. He must have read her mind.

"I mean that as a compliment, of course." He said.

Jacob saved him from his daughter's wrath. "Teal'c's right as well. We suspect that Sia is ready to make a major play for power. She's been a non-factor in the power struggle among the System Lords up until now, but once she gets into it you can be sure that Goa'uld will fall in her path, and the resulting power vacuum will draw the others straight into her clutches."

"Then I guess that whatever it was that she beat you to, it's probably a bad thing that she has it, and we'll probably have to find a way to get it back from her. So...what did she get?"

"Perhaps you've heard of it in your travels," Garshaw said. "It is known as a Quantum Mirror."

Jackson, Carter and Hammond looked shocked. Teal'c remained impassive. O'Neill just looked exasperated.

"Aw, Damn," He said. "You mean there's _another_ one of those out there? We just got rid of the last one!"

"Well, surely you didn't think that a race capable of building such a thing would stop at building just one? What good would one Stargate be? So, you've had experience with a Quantum Mirror?"

"A couple of experiences, actually." Hammond said. "Our last encounter led us to an Earth conquered by the Gould. I ordered ours destroyed to prevent any potential threats from coming through."

"Our plan was to study this one," Jacob said, "to see if we could find a way to control it more thoroughly, to prevent inbound threats from coming through while still on this side. If we were unsuccessful we were going to destroy it, and make sure any others in existence were found and destroyed as well."

"Probably a big job." Jackson said.

"And one we may not get a chance to finish. If Sia can use the Mirror to bring through some weapon or person capable of giving her an upper hand, or find a way to toss her enemies through it, then her rise to power will be unstoppable, and she'll be sure to wipe out any resistance. That means all of us."

"But what could she bring through?" Carter asked. "With all a System Lord has in his or her arsenal, what else could she need?"

Garshaw and Jacob looked at each other, each afraid to voice what they thought. Fortunately, Jackson came to the same conclusion. "Oh my god..." he muttered. "Sam, do you know the mechanics of the bomb we used to destroy Ra?"

Carter thought about it for a moment, remembering the reports from the original Stargate mission and the materiel procured for it, including the tactical thermonuclear weapon O'Neill was to use in the event the first Stargate team encountered a major threat. "Yes, I do, Daniel."

"Including how much damage it could do, it's--what's the word?--yield?"

"Sure."

"And how much more damage it could do if the bomb materials were combined with the mineral that was mined on Abydos?"

Carter had to think harder about that one. "Well, not exactly, but I have a pretty good idea..."

"What's your point, Daniel?" O'Neill asked. Jackson ignored him.

"Could Ra have survived the detonation of that bomb in his pyramid?"

"Of course not." Carter chuckled. "The entire structure would have been vaporized. His only chance would be if someone had a cosmic dustbuster powerful enough to gather up his molecules and dump them in a sarcophagus."

"So there's no way?" Jackson pressed.

"No way, not as long as it was working prop..." Her voice trailed off. She suddenly got it.

"What did we just learn?" O'Neill asked, not enjoying being left out of the loop.

"I'd just remembered something else about Sia." Jackson said. "In Egyptian mythology she's thought to have been extremely loyal to Ra, something like his right-hand, or his girl-Friday. She accompanied his entourage into the land of the dead each night, standing by him as he faced death when he encountered Apophis. If the Gould Sia is anything like the myth, then she's not going to try to garner power for herself, at least not directly. Her ultimate power comes from her service to Ra, and with a Quantum Mirror..."

"It's possible for her to bring him back from the dead." Garshaw said. "We had hoped you might come to a different conclusion. Sia _is_ like the Tau'Ri myths, Daniel Jackson. No one was more loyal to Ra in his glory than she was. We were shocked that she didn't try to kill you all immediately after you destroyed him, but now it seems that she had simply been waiting to get all the pieces of her plan in place."

"Point of order," O'Neill said, "you heard what Carter said. Ra is dead, 'Cosmic dustbuster' and all..."

"Only if the bomb worked _properly_, Jack." Jackson said. "Suppose that in another reality the bomb was a dud, or the transport rings malfunctioned and it never reached the pyramid ship, or Ra got away from the ship in a glider or something. If Sia could get to any of those realities, she could pluck Ra out of it and bring him to this one."

"If she brings him here," Jacob continued, "and manages to reinstate him as the chief System Lord, then it will mean the end of the Goa'uld infighting. After that, nothing will stop a united Goa'uld front from crushing all of us under their heels. The Alliance of Races arrayed against them may stop them eventually, but not before the Tok'Ra and the Tau'Ri are stopped cold."

Carter tried to inject a positive note. "Well, even if all that's true, we wouldn't have to put up with him for long. If that alternate Ra stayed in this reality long enough, he'd suffer from Entropic Cascade Failure. My own counterpart almost died from it."

"Remember, Major Carter," Teal'c said, "your counterpart survived for more than two days before the effects of travel through the Mirror caught up with her, and you said yourself that your presence in this reality exacerbated the problem."

"Besides," O'Neill said, "the Ra from this reality did a lot of damage in two days."

"Okay." Hammond said. "So this Sia might be trying to bring Ra back to our universe. What do you need us to do?"

"Stand ready." Garshaw said. "I doubt that it will be possible to recover the Mirror before she uses it, so if she brings Ra back we will have to stop them both before they can exercise power over the System Lords. This is the battle the Tok'Ra were created to fight. When the time comes, the Tok'Ra and Tau'Ri must stand together and defeat them once and for all."

Everyone was stunned. The Tok'Ra were no strangers to guerilla warfare themselves, existing and acting almost exclusively in secret against the System Lords. What Garshaw was talking about was taking part in open warfare against Sia and Ra, and the reservations she'd had about an alliance with the Human Race when they'd first met seemed to be completely forgotten. This was an amazing turnaround, one that lent credence to the urgency of the situation.

"We will," Hammond said, bringing the meeting to an end, "and in the meantime I suggest that we put our heads together to formulate a plan of attack for when Sia makes her move." Everyone stood at that point and handshakes were exchanged, as well as another hug between Sam and Jacob. They continued to discuss the situation as they walked out of the briefing room.

"If it's impossible to get a spy into her ranks then we really won't be able to anticipate what her first move will be." Carter said. "I mean, all we have is the assumption that she'll try to bring Ra back."

"But if that assumption is correct," Jackson said, "I think I have a pretty good idea what she'll have to do next. If we base our plans on countering that possibility, I don't think we'll be disappointed."

Jackson explained as Garshaw dialed in the address to the new Tok'Ra base, this time letting the technicians see it, another departure. She knew it would be important for the SGC to have the ability to contact them easily in this crisis. As Jackson spoke, the beginnings of a plan began to form in Carter's mind. It would require lots of disparate elements being brought together in one spot, and some parts of it would have to be executed immediately, but assuming Jackson was right, it might just work.

* * *

Four Selket Guards carried the Quantum Mirror through the corridors of the Goa'uld Mother Ship, making their way to the Pyramid Ship docked to the top. They were led by the Jaffa in the cat headdress, Sia's First Prime, walking at a brisk pace. She was eager to get the device to her Goddess, to build on the success of the Breach Weapon recently tested on the modified Krakus Stargate and thus further the Great Plan.

Their pace never slowed, until finally they were in the throne room of the Pyramid. The hall was immaculate and richly designed, decorated with the Eye of Ra and statues of the principle god, Sia's patron, as well as the other gods in Ra's entourage. The Jaffa approached the dais where the ornate couch that served as Sia's throne rested. The First Prime had the Jaffa set up the Mirror a few meters away, then they all kneeled and bowed their heads in wait.

A moment later, a coterie of servants entered from the far side of the dais, young girls in elaborate dresses ready to fulfill the Goddess's every need. They flanked the couch on the dais and stood and watched as the Goddess herself walked into the room. Dressed in a beautiful gown and adorned in sparkling jewelry, the tall, Nubian beauty approached her throne with a graceful stride, escorted by two more servants and a trio of Selket Guards. She sat down on the throne with leisurely finesse, stretching out her arms and laying back in an almost seductive pose. Once settled, her eyes bored into the First Prime.

"So, Bastet," she said, "what have you brought me?"

Bastet stood up and pressed a button on her headdress. It folded in on itself and retracted, revealing the First Prime's striking face. The others took the cue and stood as well, retracting their own simple headgear. Bastet was smiling with professional pride as she stood aside to reveal the Quantum Mirror.

Sia sat up straight, then stood, returning Bastet's smile. She glanced at one of her servants, and the girl left the dais and went to Bastet. The Jaffa handed her the control device, which she brought back to Sia. The Goa'uld took the device and walked down the steps of the dais to the lower level. She patted Bastet's shoulder as she went to the Mirror, eyeing its shiny surface. She touched it, running her dark, slender fingers along its frame.

A wide grin crept across her face and her eyes glowed with power. It was time to set the universe right.

"Excellent," she growled.

* * *

"That's a whole lot of puzzle pieces to put together in what will probably be a short amount of time, Major." O'Neill was saying in the briefing room. SG-1 and General Hammond had returned there to listen to Carter's ideas for stopping Ra and Sia. "First, the entire operation is based on a completely unconfirmable assumption--sorry, Daniel, but it is just a guess--but even if it turns out to be right you're pretty much talking about redoing Desert Storm and Desert Sabre on another planet. The logistics alone will be unbelievable."

"I realize that, sir," Carter said, "but nothing less than that will be able to spoil any plans that they may have of conquering the universe. They have to be tied to one spot, kept from roaming until we can find a permanent way to beat them. We'd need at least the entire SGC as it is to do that. Whatever else we can throw into the mix can only help."

"And it's not just an 'unconfirmable assumption', Jack." Jackson said, a little peeved. "If we've learned nothing else since we started this job it's that there is some kind of historical, real-life basis for practically every major belief system of ancient times. I know all those myths, Jack, and the one common theme that runs through them is that except for a very few isolated nice guys, most of the gods were petty and spiteful, almost childish in their petulance. Even if I didn't know those stories I'd peg Ra as just that type. Without the symbiote he's just a young boy! You know as well as I do what he'll want to do as soon as Sia fills him in on current events. He'll head straight there, Sia will trail right along, and we have to be ready to stop them both there!"

"Okay, Daniel, okay! Geez, you sound almost as bad as me! Okay, it's not 'unconfirmable', but until it happens it _is _a guess, right? Suppose you're wrong? Suppose we have all this stuff set up and they go to, I don't know, the planet with the singing plants or something?"

"He doesn't know about that planet, and if he did he wouldn't care. It's not the planet that belongs to _him!_ It's people are not the ones that belong to _him!_ His conceit will lead him right into our hands. I'd bet my life on that!"

"That's just the point. It's not just _your_ life you're betting. The same goes for you, Carter. This operation will have to go like clockwork, and you've got a lot of details to work out."

"Which she will," Hammond said, before Carter could respond, "but for now we can't work in a vacuum, so what we're going to do first is get everybody up to speed on what we're thinking of doing. I'm going to recall all the SG teams as soon as possible, then brief the President. Colonel O'Neill will stay here and brief the SG team commanders on the situation. Major Carter, when the Tok'Ra get settled in their new base you'll have to go there and let them know your ideas, then I want you back here immediately to turn them into a real operations plan. Teal'c, I'll need you to go to Chulak and gather Bra'tac and your people as soon as possible. Dr. Jackson, I'm sure you know where you have to go."

Jackson nodded, a grim look on his face. "Abydos."

* * *

Sia watched in reverent silence as the stars floated past her viewscreen, watching, searching for the right combination of stars. "Here!" She called out suddenly.

Bastet's hands flew to the stationkeeping controls, stopping the ship before it overshot the position by even a micron. Most Goa'uld would kill as punishment for a blatant error, but Sia was known for punishing lesser beings for a lack of precision. One could be right, yet not be right _enough_ to suit her.

Sia glanced back at her First Prime, then resumed her scanning of the stars. Bastet let out a quiet breath, grateful that she had succeeded once again. The Goddess was a hard mistress, but a fair one.

The Goa'uld then walked away from the control station by her sarcophagus and walked the length of the throne room to the Quantum Mirror, servants and Jaffa in her wake. She stood about a meter away from the alien device, then held the controller in her hand. Memories flooded her mind, of the time centuries ago when she'd discovered the first Mirror, discerned its purpose and made a present of it to Ra. He'd scoffed at it, wondering why he would need such a thing. When she'd told him he could conquer a multitude of universes with it, he'd laughed, saying he was content to rule this universe, and the others were inconsequential. But he'd kept the device, being polite, she supposed, and probably removed it to some long forgotten storage chamber.

That was what Sia was hoping for, that in some other universe out there another Sia had given another Ra the same present, leaving a doorway into the Pyramid Ship and allowing her to rescue him. For a moment, the image of a thousand Sias thinking the same thing at the same moment came to her. Had one of them attempted to do the same thing she was about to try? Had she succeeded? If she had done it properly, no one in this universe would ever know. She made a mental note to calculate the possibilities of such an event at a later time. For now, it was time to search.

Sia's hand brushed the master control on the device, and the Mirror activated. Sia's reflection disappeared and was replaced by...an empty starfield.

She recognized the stars in the field. The Mirror in this reality must have been the only thing to survive the explosion of Ra's Pyramid. Interesting circumstance, but not what she was looking for. She touched the channel controller.

A brief burst of static, and this time the Mirror showed a nearly empty room. This Ra had had a similar regard for her gift. Sia looked at the walls carefully. They were intact, as if nothing had happened. She was curious about that for a moment, then a flash of blinding light filled the scene, and nothing but static remained in view. The Goddess concluded that Ra had met his tragic end in the same manner, only years later, since time was matched in the alternate realities. She switched the channel again.

This time the Mirror showed her a jagged, bleak landscape. On closer inspection she saw that it was filled with debris. This Mirror was in a garbage dump!

She sighed, reminding herself that this would be a difficult task in the best of circumstances, especially considering that her target was a reality with specific requirements pertaining to Ra's last moments.

With new resolve, she changed the channel again...

* * *

**NEXT: "PLANS OF ACTION"**


	2. Plans of Action

**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Sci-Fi Originals, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**Author's Notes: **_Thanks for all the great reviews! Keep 'em coming! I won't stop writing till I'm on everybody's "Favorite Authors" lists!_

**The Return of Ra: "Plans of Action"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

"Mr. President, this _is _a grave situation!" Hammond said into the phone, regretting that he had to bring a new Commander-In-Chief up to speed on the type of things the SGC faced on a regular basis...and he'd voted for this one. "From what I understand, this Sia is capable of bringing back the first and deadliest enemy this facility has ever faced. I know, it's a little difficult to grasp, sir, but it isn't an exaggeration. With what we plan to do, if we can stop her in her tracks we may be able to avoid a much greater crisis later. No, I don't hold out much hope for a peaceful solution." Hammond listened as the line went silent for a moment or two, then as the President asked one more question. The general smiled as he answered, Texan to Texan, "Mr. President, here's what we need..."

* * *

This one was interesting. Sia found herself staring into the intact throne room of Ra's Pyramid. Apparently Ra had survived in this reality as well. His Horus Guards were kneeling in front of his throne, lead by Anubis, the jackal-headed First Prime.

Suddenly, she heard the soft, muted voice of Ra as he spoke to his servants, and her host's heart skipped a beat when she saw him come into view, full of the majesty she'd always remembered seeing in him. There he was, plain as day, ready for the taking...and she could do nothing. She'd already contemplated this. She couldn't take Ra intact from a universe that knew he was alive. It would simply sow discord there and most likely prompt _that_ universe's Sia to come after him. Neither consequence was something she wanted to bear. She had to move on.

Her hand was about to touch the controller when she noticed Ra looking in the direction of the Mirror. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and he approached slowly, cautiously. Sia watched as he came ever closer and mouthed the question "Sia? What is the meaning of this?"

When she didn't answer right away his eyes narrowed and flashed, and with a gesture Anubis and the Horus Guards were upright and approaching the Mirror with their staff weapons ready. Bastet and the Selket Guards behind her readied their weapons as well, but Sia managed to switch channels before anything happened, changing the scene to the interior of some abandoned temple.

With a quiet breath of relief, Sia pressed on.

* * *

"All right, let's settle down, everybody." O'Neill said, calling his meeting to order. The fifteen SG Team leaders had gathered in the main briefing room deep in the facility. As would be expected, the assorted collection of colonels and majors was curious, but some were a bit edgy, having their missions either 'Stopped at the 'Gate', the common euphemism, or interrupted as they were in full swing. Especially agitated were the few scientists that had come to command SG teams. Two had vital observations to make on their respective missions and were anxious to get back to them. Colonel O'Neill was about to disappoint them.

"You may be wondering why we've called you here today." He said. "I'll cut right to it: Our friends the Snakes are about to throw a wedding."

Faces all over the audience twisted into looks of utter confusion, and O'Neill congratulated himself on coming up with this next particular crack, no matter how convoluted the setup:

"Someone new is going to hit us with something old, by way of something borrowed, and if we don't stop them, everyone is going to end up oh so blue." With that, he began his brief on the situation.

* * *

Her eyes were getting tired from staring into the Mirror, but Sia would not give up. She tried to tell herself that there couldn't possibly be that many different possibilities to diverge from the moment of Ra's defeat to the present, even though she knew she was lying to herself. There could easily have been millions of different possible events springing from the time O'Neill and Jackson sent the bomb through the transport rings, or any moment in particular. She was just trying to find one, and she'd known it would be difficult going in.

_Patience_, she scolded herself. She literally had eternity to find the right reality. She changed the channel again.

An ancient curse escaped her lips as she looked into the face of an Asgard.

She switched the channel again.

* * *

"We're almost done here." Martouf said. The last of the main tunnels had finally been dug, leading to the large meeting chamber for the Tok'Ra Council. The planet they had dug into was only barely habitable, raked by hurricane force winds and covered in gravel-like sand, sporting a freezing climate and thin atmosphere. It was the least hospitable world the Tok'Ra could find, one where it would be difficult for the Goa'uld to operate on the surface.

When the MALP had sent back the pictures and atmospheric readings on the planet, Hammond had almost been tempted to have Carter outfitted in a spacesuit lined with Kevlar before he let her go through. She'd convinced him that the usual desert battle dress and some body armor would be enough. It almost wasn't. She'd barely gotten twenty feet from the gate, fighting the gale and micrometeorite barrage all the way, when the transport rings appeared around her. When she got into the tunnels, she saw that her weapons had been sanded and pitted with impacts, while her uniform had been ripped in several places, including the armored parts. She wasn't wounded, but her clothing might not survive a return trip. Martouf offered to supplement her uniform with more durable clothing for her trip back.

"This is a good world for you." Carter said. "The bleakness of it should offer you some protection."

Martouf nodded. "We may all need similar refuge if Sia succeeds." He said. "I hope these plans of yours will work. Garshaw should be nearby. Let's get her and the rest of the Council together and you can tell us what you have in mind, along with what you will need from the Tok'Ra."

"I can tell you what we'll need right now." Carter said as they walked. "We'll need you to provide a force about twenty strong. They'll be vital to our defense and eventual counter-offensive. I haven't got all the details worked out yet, but the main goal is to wear Sia and Ra's forces out in a futile attack, then go for the Goa'uld themselves. We'll have several different elements working to achieve that goal. General Hammond was working on getting some of the people and things we need when I left. I have to go back soon and help coordinate them."

"Then we'd better not waste any time." Martouf said, picking up his pace.

* * *

Sia could only smile at the scene. It was comical the way the strange little fish peered back at her from the submerged Mirror on the other side. She was a little surprised that all the water wasn't rushing in, then reasoned that more than physical contact must be required to make the transition to another reality. There must be some kind of conscious desire to go along with it. Just to prove her theory, the fish swam up to the Mirror and tried to bite it...

...and collapsed to the floor of Sia's throne room with a wet thump, then began to thrash around. The Goddess motioned for a Jaffa to come over. The Selket Guard was set to blast it with her staff, but a flash from Sia's eyes stopped her. Putting aside her staff, the Jaffa carefully picked up the fish and held it for Sia, who gestured with her chin to the Mirror. The Jaffa touched the fish to it, sending the thing back to its environment. Once in the water, it took one last glance at the strange being on the other side of the invisible wall, then swam for its life.

Sia was satisfied. She had no reservations about killing, except that the death must have some benefit to it. The dead fish would simply have been a dead fish, its death having served no purpose. She switched the channel again.

* * *

"It is good to see you, old friend." Teal'c said to Bra'tac as they clasped hands at the wrist. The two former First Primes of Apophis greeted each other with smiles, though Bra'tac's was wider and showed his teeth, while Teal'c's was more formal and reserved.

"It does an old heart good to see you, my young friend." Bra'tac said. They were meeting in a quiet marketplace on Chulak, after hours, in between two kiosks. It was likely they'd be safe from prying ears. "Tell me, what brings you home?"

"How many have you recruited?"

"It is difficult. There are so many here still loyal to Apophis." Since they'd helped rescue SG-1 from the clutches of Hathor, Bra'tac had been trying to expand the small band of resistance fighters they'd gathered for the effort. It was slow going, but he'd had some success. "At present, I've got fifteen men to join our cause."

"It will be enough. Gather them at the Stargate and prepare them for battle. We will have need of them soon. There will soon be a great battle, led by the Tau'Ri. We and the Tok'Ra will assist them." In a few minutes, Teal'c explained all the information he knew, plus he laid out what would be expected of his people. Bra'tac listened carefully, raising an eyebrow only when Teal'c told him what other equipment would be needed.

"But we left it there, and as good a pilot as you are, it doubt we could get it into Earth's Stargate facility."

"I am told we will not have to fit it there. That is part of the plan."

"Very well. Our men will be ready to carry out our mission."

"Of that I have no doubt, old friend."

* * *

She saw a world covered with snow and ice, in the throes of a massive blizzard. She switched the channel. Now there were Ancients working on an old Stargate. She changed the channel. Aliens she'd never seen before jumped back from the Mirror when they saw her appear in it as they examined it. She switched the channel again.

This next scene made her pause. She was looking in the Mirror at...herself.

Yet it was not a true reflection. Of course, it had to be another reality, but one she'd never considered. There she was, looking back at herself, equally surprised, except the other Mirror could only be in what must be a Tau'Ri facility, similar to the one that housed the Earth Stargate in _this_ reality, and her counterpart was wearing a Tau'Ri uniform, the jumpsuit type that was blue in color and sported few adornments except for the SGC patches on the shoulders that had come to be so hated by the Goa'uld. Her beautiful face was not made up, and her long hair was tied back severely. She checked the rank insignia, and recalled what she knew about the Tau'Ri military. A lieutenant! Not even a position of real authority!

Sia's eyes flashed with indignance, and on the other side, Air Force Lieutenant Sia Morgan looked into them and said "Whoa!" They raised their controllers and Sia switched channels as the lieutenant turned her Mirror off.

* * *

Daniel Jackson couldn't help but look back at the replica of the Great Pyramid as he crossed the sands of Abydos with his welcoming committee. It was there that the greatest adventure of his life had started. More importantly, it was the proof that he needed to validate the theories he had formulated about the origins of human civilization. It was a shame he couldn't tell any of the stuffed shirts who'd mocked him about it, National Security and all. _Who do you think built the Great Pyramid?_ He could hear one ask in his mind. _Men from Atlantis? Or Martians perhaps?_ How about a little of both, fat boy?

One more thing about the sight gratified him. It had not yet been covered by a Pyramid Ship, serving as a landing pad for one being its sole purpose. That meant that no Goa'uld had returned to the desert world--yet. Jackson was sure that this happy situation would not last. He was positive Sia would bring back Ra. He couldn't understand why she hadn't done it yet. Surely she must have come across dozens of Ras since she'd started using the Mirror. Not that he was complaining. The longer she took to bring him back the more time they had to prepare. Still, he wished he could let the Mastage he was riding run flat out, but no one could stay on the back of one of the elephantine beasts of burden when it was at full gallop.

Jackson was being escorted by four Abydonian young men, who were also riding. They had been among the boys who had helped retake the Stargate and free their people all those years ago. They had been in the pyramid when Jackson arrived, keeping watch on the 'Gate, a regular vigil on this world. Seeing them brought back painful memories of Sha'uri and Skaara, but also good ones of the time he'd spent on Abydos, teaching the people here about their past and helping to guide them to what Jackson hoped would be a bright future.

A day's ride brought them to the walled village that served as the Abydonians' home. They were spotted as they approached, and a large group met them when they reached the open gates. Some women brought them water to drink while a group of boys tended to the animals. As he sipped, Jackson was happy to see Kasuf coming toward him out of the corner of his eye.

"Welcome home, my son!" The elder exclaimed, greeting Jackson with a grin and a strong handshake. As far as Kasuf was concerned, Daniel Jackson was Abydonian, by marriage as well as by acculturation, and would treat him as such. Jackson, as always, appreciated the sentiment.

"It's good to be back, Good Father." Jackson said, with respect as well as genuine pleasure. Abydos had become home for him at a time when he'd had no other, and he had no intention of letting anything happen to it. "Unfortunately, I do not come bearing good news. I'm afraid both our worlds are in terrible danger, but Abydos especially."

Kasuf's face suddenly became very serious. Daniel Jackson traveled among the stars, challenging the gods with tools and weapons that beggared his imagination. If his son was worried, then the danger must be terrible indeed. "What is it, son? What has happened?"

"The problem is what might happen. One of the demons has obtained a device that...that could help her bring back Ra."

At the sound of the Sun God's name Kasuf's blood ran cold, and for a moment--just a moment--Jackson could see a look of stark fear come across the old man's face. Then the look was replaced with one of grim resolve, and his voice became low and menacing. "Ra will return?"

"That is what we fear will happen, yes."

"And he will threaten us again?"

"That is possible."

"That will not happen, Daniel. We will fight him to the last man and boy! We will _not_ be his slaves again!"

"I know, Father, and this time you will not fight alone. My people are going to send help, as much as possible, but we need you to do some things here."

"Anything! What must be done?"

Jackson started to explain as they walked into the village. "First, we'll need a large, clear area in the village to work from. I have just the right place in mind..."

* * *

Sia had to admit to herself that she'd need to stop soon. Though she might be able to search for an eternity, she couldn't do so _continuously_. Her arms were starting to get tired, as well as her eyes. Her host body had needs that had to be tended to, and would require some rest. Impatience was finally starting to overtake her. No matter how often she told herself that she didn't need to hurry, her subconscious was screaming for an end to the search. She dreaded putting off the hunt for the next day, but it was becoming less and less her decision to make.

Such was her impatience that she almost turned away from a channel that looked promising. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark, charred wall in the Mirror, and stopped her hand before it manipulated the control. She took a closer look. It looked like the interior of the storage room she'd seen long before. The surfaces of the walls were burned and warped. In some places they'd completely disintegrated.

Sia snapped her fingers. One of the servant girls approached immediately, carrying a pillow on which rested a shiny, golden disk. Sia picked up the disk and slid her hand over it. A hum began to emanate from the object and she took it to the Mirror. With a touch she sent it to the other side, where it floated in mid-air. The disk started to glow with a pulsating light that filled the room. In the glare Sia could make out details. This _was_ a storage room on Ra's Pyramid Ship.

A few seconds later the device began to display characters in the air. The goddess read them carefully as they appeared and disappeared. This was it! Every reading the device took matched her exacting specifications. She'd found the reality she was looking for.

Beyond the Mirror, in that universe, the bomb had made it to Ra's ship, but had malfunctioned. The material that had made up the warhead of the original Tau'Ri device had been impure, and the resultant explosion had been less powerful than intended. Human scientists called it a "fizzle", the nuclear arms equivalent of a "dud". The materials that composed the Pyramid had further reduced the bomb's effectiveness by absorbing and disbursing the explosive energy of the blast. Had the blast been powerful enough, they would also have magnified the energy release, just as the Pyramid had done in this universe, and just what the raw material would have done to the bomb had Ra's plan to ship them back to Earth succeeded.

Of course, it was still a powerful enough explosion to kill Ra, but not irretrievably. Yet she was sure no one from that universe, knowing Ra was dead, would rush to dispose of his body, faced with the killing radiation that was still permeating the Pyramid's remains. Instead, they would fall into discord, vying for power, much as in this universe. Even her alternate might be too busy fighting for her share of the remaining universe to attempt a proper rescue. That left the way open for her.

"Now." She said.

Bastet and the Selket Guards sprang into action. They knew immediately what was expected of them. Four of the Jaffa carried an opaque, roughly human shaped casket to the mirror. As one, they touched their hands to the screen, as well as the casket. They all appeared on the other side in a flash. Once in the alternate pyramid they set off at a run, heading for where the Sun God must have been, the control station in his throne room.

Sia fidgeted and bit her lip as she waited. Suddenly, eternity didn't seem very long. So close to achieving her goal, she found herself counting the seconds until the Jaffa returned. There was no way of knowing how long the retrieval could take. Though they knew where Ra was supposed to be, the damage sustained by the pyramid might make getting to him problematic.

The Goddess needn't have worried. Though it had taken longer than it would have on an intact ship, it didn't take that much longer. Soon, the Selket Guards returned to the mirror carrying the casket, which now seemed to weigh them down. It took some effort for them to stand it upright. When they had it in position, four more guards got ready on this side of the doorway. The retrieval team touched the casket to the mirror surface. It reappeared in front of Sia. The four new guards caught it as it tipped over, then carried it out of the way.

Sia regarded the Jaffa in the Quantum Mirror. The team leader took a deep breath, brought herself to attention, then touched her fist to her chest and bowed solemnly. Her team followed suit, honoring their Goddess. Bastet returned the salute fully, while Sia returned the gesture with a bow of her head, showing genuine respect. The team would not be coming back. The radiation was already killing them, causing more damage than their Goa'uld larva could fend off, and bringing them back would risk contaminating her Pyramid. Besides, they had one more thing to do.

Once the silent goodbyes had been exchanged, the retrieval team readied their staff weapons and aimed them at the doorway. Sia raised the controller and touched it, turning it off. As soon as the channel was closed, the Jaffa in the alternate universe would destroy that mirror. What they did after that was their own affair, as long as they gave no evidence of what they had done, but Sia was confident that the radiation levels would make sure they never spoke to anyone.

She then gave the controller back to her servant and turned her attention to the casket. The material it was made of was radiation proof, and thus was safe to examine. Once empty, she could now barely make out the shape of a body through the translucent casing. She could barely make out the grayish skin and diamond shaped mouth of the badly disfigured corpse. The shock of the rebellion on Abydos had caused him to revert to the form of the host he'd taken before he'd discovered the Tau'Ri, but as long as there was a trace of human DNA left to work with, Sia was sure that would not be a serious problem.

Without a word Sia walked over to the transport rings. The guards carrying the casket followed close behind, then set the casket upright in the center of the transport area and gathered around it. Sia joined them, then said to Bastet: "Maintain this orbit and await my instructions. If all goes as I expect, we should be landing within a day."

Bastet nodded, then touched the jewel control on her gauntlet. The transport rings descended with their usual ratcheting sound, and in moments Sia and the others were whisked away.

* * *

The C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft sped through the night sky, escorted by two Air Force F-15s. The pilots found it a little odd since they'd be over U.S. territory the whole trip, but orders were orders, and their orders said _nothing_ was to impede the Globemaster's progress.

Meanwhile, in the plane's cargo bay, the loadmaster looked again at the big, flat wooden box and the short, squat, square one that were the cargo for this mission. He scratched his head, trying to figure out what was in them, and why they warranted such secrecy. Normally the sergeant was in on each mission briefing, but this time he hadn't been allowed in the "officers only" meeting. He didn't even know where they were going. Finally it became too much. He trotted over to the two Rangers accompanying the boxes and asked one of them point blank.

"Okay, I gotta know. What's in these things?"

The Ranger looked over at his teammate and they smiled at each other, then he looked back at the sergeant and answered. "It's a big round thing that turns into a pool and sends you to other planets!"

"Okay...where are we taking 'em?"

"Area 51!"

The loadmaster got an annoyed look on his face. "Fine, _don't _tell me!" He said, then stalked off.

The Ranger waited until he was sure that the sergeant couldn't hear him over the noise of the engines, then said to his partner: "Damned if these things don't write their own cover stories!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the SGC was flurry of activity, even though most of the personnel on the base had been evacuated, while those left behind were shutting down and securing vital systems. As they worked, General Hammond and Major Carter talked in the briefing room over handwritten notes and quickly sketched maps on which Carter had created a detailed operations plan. As the _de facto_ operations officer for what was being unofficially called "Operation Sundown", it was her job to coordinate the disparate elements of what was turning into the Stargate Expeditionary Force and finalize the way they would be used to stop Ra.

"The President has also promised us the use of Colonel Cromwell and his people," Hammond said. "That will give us another fifty troops that are capable of special operations."

"That will be great!" Carter said. "If Teal'c and Daniel come through that will give us the equivalent of an irregular battalion." She checked her watch. "The first of the transports should be nearing Area 51. Were there any problems getting the modified equipment?"

"No problem with the Army vehicles. They were loaded and on their way by the time I got the evacuation going here. The 'Mini 500' kits were a little tougher to get, but they and the conversion kits are on their way. We can assemble them on the ramp once everything is set up."

"I hate 'some assembly required'," Carter chuckled.

Just then a technician came in. "We're ready." She said to General Hammond.

The General looked out at the Stargate. He pressed the intercom and said: "Close the iris."

The iris slid shut, closing the entrance to the 'Gate. When he saw that, Hammond said: "Shut down."

In the control room, all the control systems had been powered down already. The lone techie in the dark room operated the Stargate using the backup system programmed into a laptop. It wasn't powerful enough to sustain normal Stargate operations, but could be used for a short while to do what was required. The techie touched a control.

The power sources for the Stargate immediately shut down and secured themselves. Once that was done, more techies in the 'Gate Room disconnected the power leads from the device, rendering the Stargate non-operational. The lights were turned off as the technicians left, leaving only the briefing room illuminated.

"I think its time to go, General." Carter said.

* * *

"Lowering the ramp!" The loadmaster said into his radio to the pilot. The landing had been a smooth one, almost delicate, as if what they were carrying was extremely fragile. The sergeant carefully directed the action as hauling trucks towed the equipment pallets off the plane. The flat box was particularly tricky, since it had been loaded upright. He noticed that other aircraft were offloading as he guided the big box down the ramp. When the object was clear, he took a moment to get a good look.

He couldn't recognize the airfield, since in the dark every air base looked like every other. As he wondered where he was he noticed a pair of C-130 transports offloading some sort of vehicles. They looked like dune buggies, and on closer inspection he realized that they were the desert ATVs that the Army sometimes used. Maybe they were in or near the desert. The Middle East? Naw, they weren't airborne anywhere near that long. Maybe a test range in the Southwest, like the National Training Center.

As he tried to figure it out he heard a voice in his ear. "Button her up. We're cleared to leave right now!"

The sergeant sighed as he acknowledged with "Roger that." He trotted back into the cavernous cargo bay and hit the door controls. He looked back as the ramp raised and the view of the mystery airfield was obscured. No crew rest, no tour of the local nightlife...they'd barely touched down. Whatever was happening, the powers that be sure didn't want non-essentials taking up valuable time.

As the C-17 taxied away, the flat box was towed to an obscure part of the secret airfield. It was held upright on its pallet by wooden braces at its bottom. The hauler positioned the box precisely on a mark set up for it, just as the other box was set on a different mark. When the trucks cleared out a squad of Rangers surrounded the area, guarding the two boxes. Only specifically authorized personnel would be allowed to approach and open them. Until then, they would lay undisturbed as ground crews unloaded the other aircraft descending into the suddenly very active secret base.

* * *

Sia watched intently as the components of the elaborate sarcophagus she'd had constructed folded closed around the translucent casket, right until the last Ankh shaped cover piece slid into place at the top. It was an exact replica of Ra's original, one that she had designed herself. It worked better than any sarcophagus in existence, her contribution to the longevity of the chief god. As soon as it closed the device quietly set to work. The energies within would destroy the casket as they healed the twisted body it contained.

She turned her attention to the Jaffa surrounding her. There were now a number of Horus Guards along with the Selket Guards that had accompanied her. "We will stay and watch over him as he heals. In the meantime the servants should prepare the welcoming ceremony."

A Horus Guard bowed and turned away to relay Sia's orders as the goddess sat in a chair nearby. She touched the sarcophagus lightly and whispered: "Soon, Mighty Sun God. Soon you shall have your revenge."

* * *

Carter and Hammond returned the salute of the sergeant standing at the bottom of the stairs perfunctorily. The Air Force Gulfstream jet had gotten them to Area 51 in record time. Once on the ground they proceeded immediately to the area where the two secret boxes had been left. They showed there ID's and traded passwords with the Ranger in charge of the security force surrounding them. The Rangers let them pass, and Carter went immediately to inspect the large flat box.

"They seem to be in the right spots." She said.

"We can open them up once we get everything ready to send off." The General said.

"Let's hope that's soon. Time is something we don't have on our side, and something Sia has an abundance of."

* * *

She knew she that she'd never be able to relax enough to actually sleep, so Sia opted for deep meditation. She sat in a chair near the sarcophagus, legs crossed and arms at her sides. Her back was perfectly straight, and she breathed in a slow, soothing fashion. The technique left her calm but alert, ready for indication that her liege lord had awakened.

It was a long night, and a silent one, with only the soft humming of the sarcophagus and the ever-vigilant Jaffa to keep her company. As the hours passed, her growing impatience threatened to disrupt her meditations. She had waited so long for this moment, this time when order would be returned to the galaxy. Surely a few more hours should not be much of a hardship, but Sia was swiftly learning that even a few fleeting moments can seem like an eternity when one must wait for something joyous to happen.

It had been so long since they'd first set the body in the sarcophagus that Sia had lost track of time, so she didn't know exactly how long she'd been waiting when she heard the sound of stone sliding against stone. The device was opening, and Sia turned to stare at it as each of its components separated. They stopped several agonizing seconds later, and it was a long time before there was any other movement.

Then a form sprang upright, covered in a dark, filmy shroud. With its first breath it screamed, filling the chamber with a shriek of pain, fear and outrage that echoed throughout the room, and the Jaffa fell to their knees and bowed deeply before the figure.

Sia merely stood and approached the sarcophagus with slow, measured steps. "Easy, my Lord," she said softly, "be at ease. You are safe and alive once again."

The head of the shrouded figure turned in the direction of Sia's voice. It's eyes flashed through the fabric, and the muffled voice of a Goa'uld hissed: "Abydos...!"

* * *

**NEXT: "FIRST MOVES"**


	3. First Moves

**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Sci-Fi Originals, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**The Return of Ra: "First Moves"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Major Samantha Carter stared in fascination as the hastily recruited flight crews completed the assembly and modification of the special commercial aircraft. They were usually sold as kits to flight enthusiasts and hobbyists for a few hundred dollars apiece, but when told of the special needs for this mission, the Pentagon special-ordered six of them and sent Air Force transports and personnel to pick them up from the vendors' warehouse. Now they had taken shape, and the Major had to appreciate the ingenuity of the birds. They were small, two-seat versions of the Bell-Boeing 500-D Helicopter, teardrop-shaped rotorcraft with "No Tail Rotor" thruster assemblies on their tailbooms. The flight crews were installing the mounts and controls for clusters of Stinger anti-air missiles and .30 Caliber machine guns. They still didn't seem all that formidable, but they were the only Earth-made air support small and flexible enough for the trip.

Meanwhile, the area ringed by the Rangers had expanded to accommodate the influx of SGC technicians, support and security personnel that had saturated the airfield. They were making preparations of their own, and when they had everything in place, one trotted over to where Carter was standing.

"Major," she said, "we're ready to open them up."

"Then let's do it." Carter said.

"Yes, Ma'am." The tech said as they started back for the boxes, then called out to her compatriots: "Let's cut 'em loose!"

Soon several techies were crawling around the boxes, releasing restraining clamps and hinges. The big box was finished first. The crews scurried away as the big side panels fell away.

Carter watched with satisfaction as the box was opened to reveal the Antarctica Stargate, none the worse for wear since being locked in storage. Soon the device was clear of crate panels, and the two big sides had fallen in such a way that they could be used as loading ramps. The other crate was soon broken down, revealing the 'Gate's Dial Home Device.

Stargate Command was now a field operation.

* * *

Though the ceremony was similar, this time the Selket Guards stayed in the background, well away from the stairs that led to the throne in the center of the hall. They resented it, but they had been told that the others must take precedence on this ship, and Sia would brook no argument. That was why the chief Horus Guards, led by the Jaffa Sia had selected to be Anubis, Ra's First Prime, were closest to the throne. Sia stood off to one side of Anubis, Bastet the other, and all were kneeled and had their heads bowed in respect, waiting patiently for the guest of honor to arrive.

Then, with a dignity and bearing that only the Sun God could manage, a tall, slight figure dressed in robes and fine jewelry and an elaborate humanoid mask emerged from the chamber beyond, surrounded by dozens of child-servants of different ages and flanked by two Horus Guards. The figure strode gracefully and slowly to the throne and sat with a flourish. Only then did anyone dare to look at him, and then only Sia, wearing a proud smile.

With a gesture and a barked command, everyone stood and faced the throne. On cue, everyone's headgear was retracted away, revealing their faces. Sia was especially proud of the Anubis she had chosen. Like Bastet, she had been impressed by his dark good looks as well as his mind. He would serve Ra with distinction, she was sure.

Once his subjects had unmasked, the figure gave a mental command, and the mask he was wearing retracted and faded away, revealing a youthful, smiling face, with almond skin, high cheeks and a withering stare. His eyes flashed once as he regarded his entourage, and the pride and eagerness that emanated from him added a final, triumphant note to the event.

Ra was reborn!

He rose and strode forward to the waiting subjects, stopping in front of Sia. The goddess immediately bowed and took his hand, kissing the back of it reverently. When she rose she stared at the beautiful face she thought she'd never see again and said: "It is good to see you again, My Lord."

Ra simply nodded, and after a cursory inspection of the Jaffa said: "Now, tell me what has transpired in my absence."

Sia's smile faded, and she took a breath and thought as she began: _He's not going to like this..._

* * *

Colonel Jack O'Neill and the other SG Commanders arrived on the base just as the first signal was sent through the Stargate. He caught up with Major Carter in the command tent that had been set up nearby, then looked over her shoulder as she arranged the papers on which she'd drawn up her operations plan.

"Oh, hello Colonel." She said glancing back. "I was just getting ready for the formal briefing."

"Looks like everything is ready outside." O'Neill said.

"Yes, Sir. As a matter of fact, we're ahead of schedule."

"_Our_ schedule. Let's hope we're ahead of the Snakes' schedule as well."

"Well, of course, but...oh! That reminds me." She checked her watch, then walked out of the tent. She watched as the Stargate shut down, then exploded back into life a few moments later. O'Neill watched with her. The technicians around the 'Gate hit the ground seconds later, knowing what to expect.

Nothing happened for a moment, then a giant, cone-shaped Goa'uld attack ship flew out of the event horizon, sending the base field personnel scurrying. O'Neill recognized the machine as the death glider Teal'c and Hammond had used to rescue them from the clutches of Hathor and her Jaffa, but he still flinched as he saw it emerge. Carter just smiled. Its arrival meant that they could put Phase 1 of her plan into operation soon.

The custom-designed _udajeet_ came to rest directly in front of the command tent. When it shut down, the cockpit opened to reveal Teal'c and Bra'tac.

"Fantastic, Teal'c!" She said as the Jaffa set foot on the ground. "We can get to work on it right away."

"Are you sure this'll work?" O'Neill asked, a little dubious.

"We do not have a choice, O'Neill." Teal'c said, in his usual deadpan. "This must succeed for the rest of the battle plan to work."

"Besides," Bra'tac joked, "who wants to live forever, eh?"

O'Neill watched as several techies came over to the death glider with some tools and equipment. "I dunno. I just don't want to throw away any chance that I _might_."

* * *

Everyone backed well away as Ra stood in the center of the hall, seething. Even Sia, who knew better, was afraid of what the Sun God might do. His eyes glowed with rage, and his body shook with intensity as he inhaled and exhaled heavily through his clenched teeth.

"My Hathor, dead?!" He hissed. "Heru'ur disgraced?!! My empire in disarray, my subjects in rebellion...all because of the actions of the two Tau'Ri _jackals_ that dared to try and kill ME?!!!"

Sia had thought it best not to tell him that in this universe the two jackals had succeeded, and her Jaffa were sworn to secrecy on the matter. Better that he thought she had found him here and managed to revive him after a long sleep. It was _technically_ true. Besides, she'd known he'd be upset enough over her accounts of the current state of his universe. Some damage control was in order. "But Apophis is also disgraced, My Lord..."

"But not _dead_, not _conquered_, not eliminated by my hand!!!" Ra bellowed. He stormed down from the dais that held his throne and marched right over to a Horus Guard. He grabbed the staff weapon from the Jaffa's hand and primed it, then jammed the barrel into the Horus Guard's stomach.

The sound of the blast was muffled by the meat of the target, and the explosion of energy sent the now dead Jaffa flying. He impacted with the wall and left a dark, bloody streak as he slid to the floor. Ra just stood looking at him, the glow in his eyes finally starting to fade as he caught his breath.

He turned to look at Sia. "I will have my revenge on them all, the Tau'Ri, the Tok'Ra, Apophis, I will punish them all! And I will start with the traitorous dogs on Abydos!"

Sia nodded, then went to the Pyramid's control panel. She activated a viewscreen, which expanded in mid-air and lit up with an image of the horizon of a planet, a spare, brown desert world.

"I've taken the liberty." Sia demurred. "We can descend any time."

Finally, Ra seemed to calm down. "Immediately." He said, as he ascended to his throne. When he sat, he gestured lazily at the Jaffa he'd just destroyed. "And someone get rid of _that_!"

Sia sighed. A good warrior wasted by a tantrum. He would have been more useful stopping the enemy's bullets.

* * *

Carter gave Teal'c and O'Neill some last minute warnings as they suited up. "Remember, you have to be positioned just right when you hook the cables, or its weight will throw off your balance when you lift it!"

"Got it!" O'Neill said, tightening his flight harness.

"Understood, Major Carter." Teal'c said. The men then boarded the rapidly modified death glider. Teal'c strapped into the pilot's seat and started the machine up, while O'Neill went over the controls for the external equipment. The Colonel gave the Major a Thumbs-Up as the canopy closed.

The techies had already dialed an address into the Stargate. The bevel had just stopped turning and the wormhole opened with explosive force. When it subsided, Teal'c lifted off and flew right into the wormhole...

* * *

"Remember," Sia said, "destroy anyone or anything that comes out of the _chapaa'ai_, or anyone who tries to enter the pyramid."

"We will obey, Goddess," the Selket Guard said with a bow. She and a party of Horus and Selket Guards had crowded onto the disk under the Pyramid's transport rings. They would descend ahead of the Pyramid landing ship and secure the landing site.

Bastet touched the control on her gauntlet. The transport rings descended and sent the landing party away.

* * *

The Abydos Stargate opened up, and the four Abydonian young men guarding it raised their weapons, ready to defend against an attack.

They were shocked when a massive, strange looking _udajeet_ blasted out of the shimmering surface effect. They dove for cover, but then cheered when one saw the smiling face of Colonel Jack O'Neill and told the others. The exhaust of the machine kicked up dust that clouded the interior chamber.

Teal'c worked the controls until the glider was hovering in just the right spot. "Now, O'Neill!" He called out.

O'Neill used a trackball on his control panel to aim. "Fire One!" He said. A grappling hook shot out from the front end of the glider and clamped around the Stargate near the bottom. He repeated the action three more times, till the Stargate had been hooked in four places. Then O'Neill's hands darted over the controls, bringing in the slack on all the lines until the grapples had the device firmly in their grasp. "Secure!" He called out.

Teal'c began to raise the glider as high as he could get in the chamber, while O'Neill reeled in the biggest catch he'd ever made. The Stargate began to rise out of the recess it had been in for millennia.

With all the noise from the glider and the winches it would have been difficult in the extreme to pick out the ratcheting sound of the transport rings, but an alert Abydonian did just that. He swung around with his weapon ready just as the shimmering blue transport ray began to fade, leaving behind four Horus Guards and two female Jaffa that he reasoned must be the new guards that Daniel Jackson had told them about. He started firing before the rings had gotten halfway up to their recess in the ceiling.

The shots alerted the rest of the Abydonians, while the flashes alerted O'Neill and Teal'c. The natives fanned out and joined in the battle, felling two Horus Guards before the Jaffa could return fire, then staff blasts scythed across the chamber. Two of the Abydonians fell, then another Horus Guard before the last two boys went down.

The look of shock O'Neill saw on the woman Jaffa's face was priceless. She was watching in disbelief as the Stargate was pulled out of place. A Horus Guard got set to fire at the glider, but a Selket Guard stopped him. _Good_, O'Neill thought, _That's right. Shoot us down and the Stargate goes down too. Your boss wouldn't be too happy about that, would she?_

"We must hurry, O'Neill!" Teal'c said.

"We can't rush this," O'Neill said, "and she can't shoot us down!" Still, he silently willed the indicator light that would show the Stargate had cleared the dais to turn from red to green.

Teal'c knew better. She couldn't shoot them down, but she could...

O'Neill's attention was suddenly drawn to sparks of blue lightning that danced across his part of the canopy. He looked out of the cockpit and saw that the Selket Guard was brandishing a _zat'n'ktel_. "She's trying to 'Zat' us?!!"

"If she can get through to us," Teal'c said, "the _zat'n'ktel_ blasts will weaken us until we can no longer continue this operation, and we will be forced to descend and lower the Stargate, causing only minimal damage!"

That was enough for O'Neill. "C'mon green," he chanted, "...green, green, green-yes!!" He worked the controls to the forward winches, hauling the bottom of the Stargate up while Teal'c compensated for the shifting weight. Now all three Jaffa below were firing 'Zat' blasts at the cockpit, and the canopy was starting to blacken and burn with all the energy being dumped into it.

Then, just to add insult to injury, a low frequency rumble started to echo through the chamber, and O'Neill could see and almost feel the pyramid shaking around them. He kept winching the Stargate up, up, until the indicators on his controls showed the grapples were locked in place.

"Go, Teal'c, go!!" The nose of the glider dipped as Teal'c began forward flight. The winches had been placed so that the bulk of the Stargate would not interfere with the glider's weapons, so as the nose dropped, Teal'c lined up a shot at the Jaffa. The enemy scattered, but one of the three was incinerated in the blast. Teal'c dropped the craft down a little to adjust to flying with the added weight, then sped away to the exit of the pyramid. Several energy blasts fired at the opening widened it into a dust-obscured hole big enough to fly the 'Gate and glider through. After an agonizing few seconds of total darkness, O'Neill was elated to see the early morning Abydos sky.

When they were well away from the pyramid, O'Neill looked back. Hovering in the distance was a mammoth Pyramid ship, kicking up a sandstorm and bolts of lightning as it approached the pyramid for a landing. "Way too close..." He muttered.

* * *

While he was watching the Pyramid ship, O'Neill hadn't noticed that further up a _second_ landing ship was descending. It wasn't a pyramid, but one of Sia's design. She'd created it knowing that most of her time would be spent at Ra's side, and the landing posts created on the worlds in his dominion would mainly be for the use of his ships. She could, of course, land a Pyramid without a post, but it caused tremendous strain on the ship, and she was more than capable of coming up with an alternative.

Sia watched with pride as the Jaffa she'd chosen for Ra brought his Pyramid in for a smooth landing. The ship itself gleamed in the Abydonian sunsrise, testament to the months of loving care she had put into building and perfecting it.

Then she noticed something odd near the landing post. Some of the nearby sand had been disturbed. She pointed to the area on the screen. "Magnify and enhance this area."

A Jaffa complied, and Sia realized that the disturbance was evidence that an aircraft had just streaked away from the pyramid. "Follow that trail to its source!" She commanded.

The screen panned along the streak, until it came upon a sandstreak being kicked up by a low-flying object. "Magnify that craft."

Another magnification and she could see that it was an old attack craft, a type that hadn't been used in centuries. She recognized the configuration, but it had been modified. Someone had added some sort of curved extensions...

Her eyes went wide as she realized that the "extensions" were actually a ring...a big, black, sculpted ring...

"Launch two _udajeet_ now!" She bellowed.

* * *

O'Neill looked back periodically, expecting death gliders to be sicced on them at any time. The attackers finally arrived when they were halfway to the Abydonian city. The Colonel watched as two dots dove on them from out of the suns and expanded into full-fledged gliders. White-hot packets of energy erupted from their flanks and cascaded down around the SG-1 teammates, exploding in the desert sands around them.

"It appears they are no longer worried about damaging the Stargate, O'Neill!" Teal'c said.

"Yeah, I got that!" O'Neill said as Teal'c dodged another hail of blasts. "I don't suppose we can fight back?"

"The Stargate makes us too heavy to maneuver properly! I will have to try to lure them into our range!"

"Do what you gotta do!" O'Neill checked his controls. The grapples were holding for now, but too much bobbing and weaving might shake the 'Gate loose, doing no one any good.

Teal'c waited until the enemy gliders made one more strafing run, then hit what passed for his glider's "air brakes". O'Neill lurched forward as the machine came to a dead stop, pitching nose down in mid-air. The maneuver was gut wrenching, but accomplished what Teal'c wanted. The two enemy gliders overshot them. They swung around and dove in again, but this time they attacked from the front, giving Teal'c the opening he needed.

The Jaffa gunned the engines, forcing the nose of the glider up and drawing a bead on the attackers. He fired a spread of blasts in their path. One glider took a hit dead center and was destroyed, while the other lost a weapon and veered off trailing fire and smoke.

Teal'c took his time getting back to a normal flying attitude. O'Neill was finally able to breathe again, after a quick glance to make sure all his warning lights were off. "Thank God the worst is over." He said.

Teal'c glanced back. "Actually, O'Neill, the greatest challenge will be flying this device over the wall of the city without doing any serious harm to either."

O'Neill looked around and remembered how low the heavy weight was making them fly. "Oh, yeah...almost forgot that."

* * *

"Here they come!" One of the lookouts called out. He watched as the glider curved in. Teal'c was using the wide arc to gain lift. The glider ultimately cleared the wall, with a few inches to spare. People on the ground signaled to the glider with arm gestures and shouts, guiding it through the streets to a wide open space in the center of the village. It was the largest marketplace, and had been cleared of merchants for the purpose of gathering defense forces for Abydos.

Teal'c looked down and saw a construct in the center of the clearing. "It is time, O'Neill." He said.

O'Neill was looking down. "Danny came through, all right. Let's set this thing down."

Abydonian craftsmen had worked round the clock to create a base to hold the Stargate. The structure was made of tough stone and shaped to accommodate the two-story sculpture. Daniel Jackson was standing nearby with a group of men with ropes that would help guide the device into place.

As O'Neill lowered the Stargate, Jackson's group went into action. They tied the ropes around the base of the 'Gate, then pulled it gently into position as Teal'c descended. By the time the suns were fully up, the Abydos Stargate was standing tall and secure in its new home. Makeshift wooden ramps were secured in place.

Teal'c landed a few meters away. Jackson ran up to the glider as the Colonel and the Jaffa jumped out. "Let's take five and then get all these things off the glider." O'Neill was saying. "We have to get back in the air to cover the deployment."

"I sent Teneth and some others to watch the 'Gate." Jackson told O'Neill. "Did you see them?"

O'Neill bowed his head for a moment, then looked Jackson right in the eye. "They...covered our escape."

Jackson could see in his eyes what O'Neill meant. He grimaced and bowed his head. O'Neill wondered if his friend would be okay. It was the first time he'd ever sent men to their deaths, and it probably wouldn't be the last before this was over.

"You were right, you know." O'Neill said, trying to make Jackson focus on the task at hand. "I saw one of those pyramids as we were high-tailing it outta there."

"I wish I hadn't been." Jackson said, looking up again. "Horus and Selket Guards?"

"In the flesh."

"Then we need to hurry. It won't take long for Ra and Sia to settle in."

O'Neill checked his watch. "Don't worry. We're still on schedule, and the cavalry should be pouring through any minute."

Jackson nodded, then looked back at the Stargate. "You couldn't have brought the DHD too, huh?"

"We were a little rushed. We didn't have time to shop for the whole set."

* * *

Sia shook with rage as she paced back and forth, cowing the Selket Guard and Horus Guard that survived the mission. They knelt and bowed deeply before her and Ra as she lambasted them for such a miserable failure.

"Did your weapons fail? Did you freeze on the trigger? How could you possibly have let them escape _with the Chapaa'ai?!!!_"

When the Selket Guard didn't answer immediately, Sia stopped in front of her, eyes blazing. Bastet admonished her: "Answer the Goddess!"

"I-I reasoned that if we destroyed the craft the _chapaa'ai_ might be damaged and unusable, so..."

"You reasoned? You _reasoned??_" Sia grabbed the woman by the chin, digging her nails deep into the coffee-dark skin, and looked directly into the guard's eyes as she hissed: "If the _chapaa'ai_ here had been destroyed utterly, all that would mean is that the latter phases of our plan would have to be postponed until such time as we were able to travel to another world and use the device there. We would still be able to conduct our plans for _this_ world on schedule, without any serious resistance. Now, since the _Abydonians_ have the device, they can either use it to escape our grasp or get help from the Tau'Ri, or Tok'Ra, or anyone else in the network with access to a _chapaa'ai_, making _all_ of our plans that much harder! _That_ is reasoning, you stupid cow!" She released her grip and stalked away, walking up the dais to Ra's throne.

She knelt before Ra and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, for the mistake of trusting this incompetent to help us in your great cause, My Lord."

Ra simply stood and gestured to a servant. The little girl brought over a black box resting on a pillow. "Even gods may make mistakes." He said calmly. "Mine was to come here with so few guards, sure that no one would rise to challenge me. You have brought me back, and given me a chance to redeem my mistakes. Allow me to help you redeem yours."

He took the box and opened it, then held it before Sia. She raised her head and looked inside.

It was a lovely gesture. She reached her right hand in, letting it slip into the delicate ribbon device that Ra himself used to punish wayward servants. She lifted it out and looked at the decorative Eye of Ra on the device, which sparked with power.

She stood and descended the stairs, approaching the now trembling Selket Guard. The others stood back reflexively, each one glad it would not be him or her this time.

She stood over the woman, then reached down, touching the device to her servant's forehead. "This is for her lack of judgement." Sia announced, then willed the device to work.

For long, horrific seconds, the Selket Guard was wracked with pain, trembling as the painful, arcane energies of the device coursed through her. Sia's eyes glowed and she grinned with satisfaction as the life ebbed from the woman's body. Finally, with a cry of agony, the woman collapsed to the floor.

"Bastet," Sia said, "gather five of your best warriors and prepare for a special mission. Anubis, send twenty of your warriors to guard the pyramid and surrounding area. I will retrieve the control device myself. If we can find a way to make it work at a long distance we may be able to disrupt their ability to use the _chapaa'ai_."

"We could simply level the city." Ra said. "Then we would have access to the device ourselves."

Sia knew she was being tested. "But the dead will not bow to you, My Lord, nor can they serve you. They must be brought back under your thumb, to be ground down whenever they dare challenge you."

Ra seemed satisfied with the answer, and nodded his approval to the others, sending them on their tasks. Sia smiled, pleased that he was going along with her plans so willingly. She needed that cooperation to make sure he could stay in this reality forever.

* * *

"We should be seeing something in five, four, three, two..."

_Kachung!_

O'Neill loved having perfect timing. The styluses on the device began to light up as someone dialed Abydos. He hoped it was the right someone.

The 'Gate opened and O'Neill checked his ID beacon. When he received the right signal, he sent one through of his own...

* * *

"Incoming signal." The techie announced. "It's SG-1."

Carter nodded and moved away from the 'Gate. "Okay!" She called out. "Do it! Just like we discussed!"

"Move out!" Colonel Cromwell bellowed, leading his men to the ramp and into the wormhole. They would secure the area on the Abydos end and prepare the way for the rest of the force. Operation Sundown was underway.

* * *

**NEXT: NIGHT MOVES**


	4. Night Moves

**Disclaimer: **Just a reminder, only the people who've never been featured on Stargate SG-1 are mine. (See disclaimers in Chapter One)

**Author's Note: **I almost let myself get distracted with other story ideas, but I decided that I should stick with the story with the biggest following (i.e., getting the most reviews). I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the others. As I was writing it, I painted my characters into a few corners without realizing it. I got them out, but I didn't quite get the chapter I was intending. I'll do better next time.

By the way, Becky, I had just as much fun writing that line as you had reading it.

**The Return of Ra: "Night Moves"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Daniel Jackson and Colonel Jack O'Neill watched as a squad of Special Forces soldiers poured out of the Stargate, led by Colonel Cromwell. Both of the SGC veterans suppressed a chuckle as a couple of the novices tumbled down the makeshift ramp, not used to emerging from the wormhole in just the right stance. Squad by squad Colonel Cromwell's force arrived until the whole unit was on Abydos. He looked back for a moment at the still open 'Gate, then turned to talk to O'Neill and Jackson. "O'Neill," he said, "Dr. Jackson. Where's the Jaffa?"

"_Teal'c_ is in the air, making sure the Snakes don't launch any air raids." O'Neill said.

"He'll be getting some help soon." Cromwell said. "So will your Abydonian friends, Dr. Jackson. More weapons. Major Carter said you had a force assembled."

"We do," Jackson said. Since Ra had been chased off the world the first time the Abydonians had assembled a modest defense force of about a hundred boys, though they had only the few weapons they'd scavenged from that battle.

"We're here to secure the area for the build-up." Cromwell said. "Anything we need to know that wasn't covered in the briefing?"

"The enemy has landed." O'Neill said. "That means our time window just got a lot smaller."

"I'd better get my men deployed then." Just as Cromwell said that, a clattering sound came from the Stargate. Everyone looked and saw a tracked cargo drone emerge and crawl down the ramp.

"Weapons for your people, Jackson." Cromwell said, then turned to O'Neill. "You're honcho on this mission?"

"That's the way we planned it." O'Neill confirmed.

"Oh . . . well, I'm gonna have to keep on my toes then!" Cromwell joked, then started barking orders to his troops.

"Blowhard." O'Neill muttered.

"Don't let him get to you, Jack," Jackson said, then rushed off to talk to Kasuf and the others.

* * *

Bastet and five Selket Guards were lined up for inspection in Ra's throne room. Sia had just looked them over thoroughly and nodded in approval. They had abandoned their warrior robes and armor and were dressed for a covert mission. They resembled mummies, wrapped from head to toe in sand-hued gauze, with only their eyes, ears and mouths visible. Their only weapons were claw gauntlets and modified _zat'n'ktel_s. It was hard for the Horus Guards in the chamber to keep their attention neutral, given the way the gauze clung to their colleagues' athletic forms.

"Remember," Sia said, "your primary mission is to gather intelligence. I want to know what the Tau'Ri are bringing in to help the slaves."

"And the other matter, Goddess?" Bastet asked.

"That is a target of opportunity. Only execute that mission if you can do it without drawing undue attention to yourselves. You must return unimpeded with the intelligence I need."

Bastet bowed. "Jaffa, Kree!" She barked, then led her women to the transport rings. Sia watched them go, then turned her attention back to Ra.

"I must return to my ship and conduct some more experiments." She said. She had tried to use the dialing device to disrupt the Tau'Ri's operation of the Abydos Stargate, but the only way to know for sure if it had worked required being able to see the device. Ultimately she had given up and decided to prepare as best she could for the coming attack based on what Bastet and her people could find out, but there were other problems that required her attention. "By your leave, My Lord?"

Ra, the Sun God, seemed content that things were going well, despite the loss of the _Chapaa'aii._ He gave a perfunctory nod, and Sia made her own way to the transport rings. As the machine came down around her, she contemplated what she'd told Bastet. "Target of Opportunity". She hoped that her Jaffa would have that opportunity, because the target's unique attributes were very important to the Goddess of Wisdom.

* * *

The flight crews for the helicopters came through next, followed by the choppers themselves. They rode through the 'Gate on larger cargo drones, and strained at the ramp as they arrived. The rotors on all of them were folded back and the weapons pods were inside the cockpits. The flight crews--with the help of some ground personnel who had volunteered to come along-began getting the aircraft ready to fly. Twenty minutes later, two were airborne to take over the Combat Air Patrol while the other four were moved to safe locations out of the way of the Stargate.

Teal'c landed soon after. He was a little tired from the activities of the past few hours, but it did not show on the outside, and "Junior", as O'Neill insisted on calling his symbiote, was already helping him rebuild his strength.

O'Neill came over with some water. "You'll be able to rest for a while. The choppers are up and ready. We probably won't need to go back up until this little war kicks off."

Teal'c finished the water, then said: "That is good. However, I would prefer that we had a more . . . active role in the battle."

"You and me both, buddy." The Colonel said. Although he had been in charge of the SGC on a few occasions, it was rare that he ever commanded more than one or two fire teams-ranging between four and twelve men-simultaneously in combat. In Operation Sundown, he'd have to command more than two hundred personnel from disparate commands, half of whom were illiterate slaves using prehistoric equipment only a few years ago. The best way to do that was from the air, so that he could see the entire battlefield and survey the positions of his forces and his enemies'. The problem for him-and Teal'c, who'd be flying him in the modified glider-was that it took him out of the action. He couldn't be down with his people, trading shots with the Snakes. In the air, combat maneuvering would merely prevent him from doing his job. They'd have to rely on the choppers to shoot death gliders down for them.

They were both attracted to the noise of the 'Gate reopening after a brief period of downtime. Moments after the wormhole stabilized a rugged, framework-constructed dune buggy roared out of the event horizon, barely touching the ramp as it landed. It was soon followed by three more, and they were all armed with TOW (Target-on-Wire) anti-tank missile launchers. They were being operated by SG-5 and SG-7, and each had a driver and a gunner.

"Hotdogs!" O'Neill chuckled as they sped off into the city's wider streets. "But, at least we have our fast recon element."

* * *

The trip was long and arduous, especially in the heat of the three suns, with few supplies and traveling on foot, taking to the sides of the most treacherous dunes, trying to keep out of sight of the city walls till the last possible moment. Yet it was nothing that Bastet had not gone through before in the service of her Goddess, and she was confident the larval Goa'uld she and the others carried within them would allow them to survive to carry out Sia's wishes. The gauze did help them blend into the landscape and the claw gauntlets were all painted with dull paint to prevent reflection of light.

They moved swiftly but steadily, like veteran desert nomads moving from land to land. They stayed low to the sand, remaining immobile when some errant patrol from the city moved nearby. As they got closer, they could see strange flying craft darting around. Tau'Ri death gliders? Bastet made it a point to remember what they looked like and how they flew.

* * *

The main teams came through next. The rest of the SG teams arrived in their usual groups, followed by fifty tactical troops from the SGC's security force. Bra'tac led a group of fifteen armored Jaffa from Chulak to Abydos. Minutes later a force of 20 Tok'Ra, under the command of Martouf, arrived. All of the late arrivals were armed with staff weapons and _zat'n'ktels_ and would act as Sundown's heavy weapons force. Jackson met them and showed them where they would take up station.

More cargo drones came through, many more, carrying spare weapons and ammunition, medical supplies and several MREs. The last one carried the launch pad for one of the small UAVs that were usually sent through the Stargate as advance scouts with greater range than MALPs. There was also a portable control panel for the aircraft.

At long last, while the equipment and troops were being deployed about the city, Major Samantha Carter, the architect of the operations plan, emerged from the 'Gate. She had stayed behind to make sure that every piece of equipment had been properly sent off.

O'Neill met her at the ramp. "I see everything made it one piece." She said.

"Pretty much." O'Neill said. "I'm glad that thing made it." He pointed at the UAV. "I didn't want to risk sending one of the helicopters to scout the enemy."

"We can get it ready in a few minutes." Carter said. "I pre-rigged it back on Earth. We just have to power it up and point it in the right direction."

"Then let's get it done, Major."

* * *

Ra didn't know what was happening to him. He was suddenly overcome with a strange malaise. He forced himself to stand and pace, trying to fight the sudden affliction. It had little effect, and the Sun God worried that whatever Sia had done to revive him was starting to wear off. It might have been the result of a malfunction in the sarcophagus, or an unsuspected defect in his host body. All he knew for sure was that he did not . . . _feel_ as if he were at full strength.

A fleeting thought entered his mind. What if Sia were somehow causing it, using some strange trick to make him ill? He decided that it couldn't be possible. The goddess had been the most loyal servant in his empire for millennia, having never shown a hint of disobedience or rebellion. Besides, why would she have gone through all the trouble of bringing him back from his gruesome death if she intended to kill him anyway?

(Had Sia been privy to his thoughts, she might have noted that Ra's logic was flawed, and didn't go far enough. She would never have said so to his face, of course.)

He then thought of calling her back from her ship, but decided against. She was already doing too much in this endeavor, commanding both her forces and _his_. It would not do well to show too much dependence on her under those circumstances.

"I am going to rest." Ra said to Anubis, still standing faithfully before his throne. "I do not wish to be disturbed until Sia returns. Have her wake me herself."

"By your will, My Lord." Anubis said as he bowed.

With a nod in return, Ra turned and left the dais, his entourage in tow as he retired to his sarcophagus.

* * *

The UAV had attracted a crowd. Several Abydonians gathered around the small aircraft, debating amongst themselves about how powerful such a tiny death glider might be. Major Carter was busy at the control console a few yards away, doing the final pre-flight checks. Daniel Jackson, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were gathered around her. O'Neill had decided to use SG-1 as his command staff, with Carter handling Operations and Intelligence, Teal'c running Security and Jackson acting as "Cultural Liaison".

"Get away from there!" Carter called out to the spectators. Jackson repeated in their dialect, adding details about the danger. The Abydonians backed off.

"Ready, sir." She said to O'Neill.

"Let's do it." The Colonel said.

Carter hit the "Launch" button. Small rockets in the UAV blasted the craft into the air, giving it an altitude boost until its rear propeller got up to speed. A minute later the rockets were discarded and the UAV was flying under its own power. Carter steered it in the direction of the pyramid.

* * *

Bastet and her team were keeping to the lengthening shadows of the dunes, making them difficult to see from the air. Still, the UAV was flying on a direct heading and wouldn't have caught them anyway. Bastet could just barely make out the tiny speck in the sky as it passed overhead. She debated for a moment what it might mean, then decided there was nothing for her to do about it anyway. She had a mission to complete.

* * *

The UAV flew unimpeded to its target as SG-1 watched on the video display. O'Neill was a little concerned that there were no death glider patrols to try and intercept it. Their absence could mean that the enemy was getting them ready for a major assault. The Colonel expected that assault to come the next morning.

"Coming up on the target," Carter said. The coordinate readout showed that the UAV was getting close to the Pyramid Ship. Carter adjusted course and altitude and zoomed the camera as several objects on the ground came into view. The gold, shining hull of Ra's Pyramid was prominent on the screen, of course, but a smaller object in the foreground caught everyone's attention.

"What is that?" Carter breathed.

"It's a sphinx . . . " Jackson said.

The object rested on the sandy rise about a hundred meters ahead of the Pyramid in the direction of the city. It was black and gold, with the body of a lion and the stylized head of an Egyptian woman with a headdress. The head moved back and forth as if scanning the horizon, and its eyes glowed bright green.

As the UAV gained altitude the Pyramid and the Sphinx both came clearly into view. "That is Sia's landing ship." Teal'c said, with a hint of awe in his voice. "I've heard stories about it before, but Sia always kept it hidden from her enemies' view."

"It's Giza . . . " Jackson said, lost in the image, " . . . the Great Pyramid and Sphinx. It's Giza Plateau."

Suddenly, the head of the Sphinx looked up, its eyes pointing right at the UAV. The eyes glowed white for a split second before a searing light filled the screen. A second later, there was nothing but static.

No one spoke for a long moment, then Carter said: "Um . . . we have a couple of spare drones. I could . . . "

"That's all right, Carter." O'Neill said. "I think the big kitty has had enough target practice for one day."

* * *

It was dusk by the time Bastet and her party reached the city. They stayed out of sight until full night, trying to discern what they could from outside the walls. The Tau'Ri aircraft were patrolling the air and ground on a regular basis. They buzzed around in the air, held aloft by powerful fans. They were small, but Bastet recognized the structures hanging from their flanks as weapons pods.

Engine noises in the distance caught their attention and made them hide in the shadow of a tall dune. The Tau'Ri had also brought wheeled vehicles through the _Chapaa'aii_. They seemed fragile compared to Goa'uld vehicles, but offered the enemy more mobility than the Mastadges and carts available.

Bastet adjusted her eyes to the dark and examined the walls themselves. There was movement on the catwalks and in the lookout posts. It looked like there were men with staff weapons on guard duty. Sia's First Prime cursed silently. The Jaffa who'd created this fiasco had deserved her death.

They started moving again when the vehicles and aircraft were far away. They stayed low, trying to avoid the attention of the guards. They made it to the wall without being spotted, their breathing ragged with fatigue and anticipation. Bastet led them around the perimeter, looking for any kind of opening that would give them access to the inside without having to climb the walls or try to get in through the main entrance.

It took them about twenty minutes to find a small gate along one wall, one that was probably used for quick access to the outside when the main entrance was shut. They approached at a crawl, sure that the Abydonians would have told the Tau'Ri of such entrances. No doubt there would be guards here as well. Looking closely, she saw the shadows of moving figures through the thick wood branches that the gate was made of.

Bastet thought as she lay in the sand. She had a decision to make. She knew a few things: The Tau'Ri had come through the Stargate in force, and had probably brought Tok'Ra with them (hence the guards with staff weapons). They had brought their own death gliders-what had she heard the Goddess call them once? Yes, _hellee-copters_-at least two of them, and had brought desert vehicles to patrol the perimeter of the city. That was what she _knew_; anything else would be guessing. The First Prime shuddered at what Sia might do if she had been forced to act on an incorrect guess.

The problem was that getting more detailed intelligence would be more dangerous than they'd suspected. If the Tau'Ri were being this vigilant with external security, then it would be nearly impossible for an enemy force to move about the city undetected. They would have to kill the guards at this entrance without them raising an alarm, try to get an exact accounting of the strength of the Tau'Ri's forces, which could be hidden anywhere, then get away with the information without being pursued. It might have been easier had they had a communications device, but the Goddess had been adamant: No transmissions that the enemy might intercept.

Yet Sia had to know more about the enemy than what Bastet had seen. _Bastet_ had to know more, to act effectively as one of the leaders of the coming attack. It would seem that the impossible had become necessary.

"From now on," Bastet whispered to the others, "we will have to move like lightning. Sekh'Amun, we have need of your particular charms . . . "

* * *

"What in the hell is that?" Sgt. Steven Price said. The SGC Security troop caught the movement of a silhouette through the spaces in the gate he was guarding. He approached the gate cautiously, MP-5 assault weapon ready. He used his free hand to unlatch and open the gate.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

The silhouette was a woman, dancing and strutting and posing a few meters away from the gate. She hummed a soft, strange tune and undulated gracefully and seductively to the melody. Even in the heavy shadow Price could tell that she was naked, a brave thing to be in the cold desert night. Every so often he caught a glimpse of her bare breasts as they shook in time with her movements.

"Hey, Bishop." He called. Sgt. Joe Bishop came over to where Price was standing, weapon ready.

"Whoa." He said when he realized what Price was showing him. He watched for a few seconds, hypnotized by the movements of her long hair and the rear end that it came down to, then said: "Shouldn't she be inside? Don't these people have a curfew with all that's going on?"

"Yeah." Price said. "She probably got drunk while she was out or something. Let's see what's what . . . _and_ get a better view." The troops had night-vision goggles strapped around their helmets. The devices were turned off to conserve battery power. They now turned the goggles on and lowered them over their eyes.

The black night turned bright green, allowing the SGC sergeants to see the naked woman in all her glory . . . as well as the odd lumps in the sand surrounding her.

_P-t-t-t-tow! P-t-t-t-tow!_ The sound of _zat'n'ktel_ blasts echoed in the night. The emitters of the weapons extended from special recesses in the Selket Guards' gauntlets. Their arms emerged from the lumps of sand, firing with abandon at the two Tau'Ri. They went down, dead, before they could fire a shot or warn their compatriots.

"Go!" Bastet hissed as quietly as she could manage. Sekh'Amun led the way, abandoning the wrappings she had stripped off in the sand. The others shook off the sand they had covered themselves with as they ran for the entrance.

Bastet stayed to the rear, stealing the Tau'Ri weapons and goggles before catching up.

The ingress hadn't been as quiet as they'd hoped. An echo of the sound of "Zat" blasts reached the ears of a Tok'Ra on watch at the top of the wall. He looked down to see if he'd imagined the noise and noticed unbroken light coming from the small gate, which lit the shadowy forms of two fallen figures.

"Tok'Ra!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Tok'Ra, Tau'Ri, _KREEEEE!_"

* * *

There was a Mastadge pen near the gate. The Selket Guards ran in and caught their breath in the shadows, ignoring the stench of the animals. Bastet handed the Tau'Ri weapons to Sekh'Amun and another. "You two must draw their attention." She said to them. "Make your way to the center of the city. M'Toth and I will shadow you." Then she turned to the last two. "Stay here out of sight. We may need these animals to make our escape. Move!"

Sekh'Amun and her partner rushed out first, automatic weapons and "Zat" weapons at their sides. "There they are!" A voice called out in the distance. Sekh'Amun fired a burst from the gun in its direction, then took off down one of the streets. Bastet peeked out from her cover and saw four Tau'Ri pass by in pursuit. When they couldn't see, she and M'Toth emerged and took to the side streets. It was the First Prime's intention to see who and what pursued the Selket Guards as they headed for the center of the settlement. Their passive reconnaissance was becoming very active indeed.

* * *

Teal'c's meditative state was disrupted by the crackle of his radio and the shouts of people outside his tent. "Echo Team to Command!" The radio called. "Echo Team to Command, do you read?!"

Teal'c seized the radio. "This is Teal'c, Echo! What is your situation?" Echo was one of the fire teams Teal'c had put on roving patrol within the city.

"We're in pursuit of two hostiles! We're headed south down I3 on foot!" When they first arrived, the SGC personnel had started giving the roads alphanumeric names to help them find their way around and keep patrols and transits organized.

"Are they Horus or Selket Guards? What kind of armor are they wearing?"

"They're not wearing armor, but they're both women! That means their Selkets, right? One's wrapped up like a mummy, the other...well, she's not, but you won't mistake her for-cover!"

The sounds of submachine guns and _zat'n'ktels_ firing made Teal'c rush up and head for the door. He grabbed his staff weapon without missing a step. "Keep them in sight!" He said into the radio. "I will alert Colonel O'Neill!"

SG-1 was quartered in the Elders' meeting house at the invitation of Kasuf. The small room O'Neill occupied was right next to Teal'c's. The Jaffa was surprised to find the Colonel awake.

"Couldn't sleep . . . " O'Neill started when Teal'c walked in. Then he noticed the staff weapon. "What's going on?"

"There are Selket Guards in the city." Teal'c said. "Echo Team has two of them in sight, but there are bound to be more."

O'Neill paled, then was striding out the door with his weapon and with Teal'c following right behind. As they made their way Martouf came running up. "One of my people spotted two of your soldiers down by one of the side entrances-"

"We've got Selket Guards in the walls!" O'Neill broke in, not even pausing to look at Martouf. A few seconds later they reached their destination.

"Danny!" O'Neill barked. "Daniel! Get up!"

The stunned linguist woke up and tried to focus on O'Neill through broken sleep and a lack of glasses. He failed miserably. "What is it, Jack?"

"We have intruders. How do we raise the general alarm around here?"

_That_ woke him up. "Give me a radio . . . "

* * *

Bastet and M'Toth looked on from shadows and small alleyways as Sekh'Amun and her partner Qoras led the Tau'Ri on a merry chase through the city. Another four enemy soldiers had come up a different way and tried to cut the Jaffa off. A brief firefight ensued, but no one got hurt. The pursuit was moving too fast and furious for any effective fighting at the moment, but that would change once enemy security got organized.

Sure enough, the sound of one of the _hellee-copters_ got closer. It was probably returning with searchlights and heavy weapons for dealing with situations such as this. If her soldiers didn't reach their destination soon, they would be destroyed.

Then she heard something that truly frightened her. A low rumbling tone echoed through the night, followed by three more. The third sounded very close.

The native warning horns had been sounded. All around her windows shone with candlelight as Abydonians awakened by the horns rose to see what the problem was. Soon the six Selket Guards would have to evade the searching eyes of hundreds of hostile former slaves.

Bastet uttered a truly disgusting profanity before moving out again.

* * *

"They must have come in here." Martouf said, pointing on a map.

"And they were being pursued through here," Teal'c said, pointing as well.

"They're making their way South and East," Major Carter said, after the latest reports came in, "but they're following the main roads, operating out in the open . . . and did I hear someone say one of them was naked?"

"Yeah . . . " O'Neill said, " . . . that kinda threw me, too. That some new Jaffa fashion sense, Teal'c?"

The Jaffa merely looked at him.

"Right . . . at any rate it indicates you might be right. They have got to be drawing our attention away from something."

"Maybe, maybe not." Carter said. "Suppose this is the direction they _want_ to go in? I mean, their course is erratic, but if it keeps going in this general direction . . . " She traced her finger along the map, raising her eyebrow when O'Neill saw what she was thinking.

The radio sounded before the Colonel could say anything. "Echo Team to Command! Hostiles are now moving due south on G7! Bravo and Foxtrot Teams also in pursuit! We're trying to cut them off, but they're putting up heavy resistance!"

O'Neill took the radio. "Echo, Command. Can you tell where they're headed?"

"Sir, on this road they have a clear run to 'Central Park', and it looks like that's-wait one . . . Foxtrot's closing-watch it!" Gunfire and "Zat" blasts drowned the soldier out.

O'Neill cut off. By now Cromwell was also in the room. "Colonel, secure 'Central Park', and I want at least one of those women alive!"

* * *

Bastet and M'Toth were now moving as frantically as their compatriots, trying to stay out of the lights from residences and the _hellee-copter_, as well as the Tau'Ri patrols closing in on Sekh'Amun and Qoras. There were a few Tok'Ra as well, and M'Toth had spotted at least one soldier in the armor of a Jaffa but with no badges of service. That meant he was probably a rebel from another Goa'uld world. What unnerved them most were the Abydonians. Some of them had taken to the rooftops to help with the pursuit, guiding the soldiers in with shouts in both the modern and ancient Tau'Ri languages: "_Shemyau!!" "Miyu!" "Here! Over Here!"_ It wouldn't be long before they spotted the First Prime's team as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sekh'Amun had taken the lead and was weaving through the streets of the settlement, making her way to what she was sure was the center. She had noticed that their pursuers' eyes were drawn to her (naturally), so to confuse the focus of those above them she and Qoras were running a considerable distance apart, allowing Sekh-Amun to draw fire and Qoras to return it. They managed to make an Abydonian duck for cover this way, but also drew the attention of the Tau'Ri in the streets.

Sekh'Amun heard Qoras fire a short burst from the Tau'Ri weapon, then the clatter of the now empty weapon being tossed aside. They were down to _zat'n'ktels_ at close range, against an array of weapons, from MP-5s to staff weapons.

Then Sekh'Amun realized that there was a vast open space just a few buildings distant from where they were. She signaled to Qoras and together the Selket Guards made a mad dash for the area, which had to be a large marketplace. They had made it!

When they arrived, Sekh'Amun realized they had achieved more than they expected, for at the center of the marketplace . . .

"The _Chapaa'aii."_ She breathed. At once she approached the device, _zat'n'ktel_ primed. If she could only disable it . . .

She was suddenly bathed in a searing white light, coming from the Tau'Ri aircraft, and froze. Tau'Ri soldiers emerged from alleyways all around the marketplace. Two staff blasts exploded near her, making her stand still, and she heard in the language of the Goa'uld: "Stand down, Jaffa! You will not escape!" She looked to where the voice came from and saw three Tok'Ra with staff weapons approaching with a group of Tau'Ri.

Qoras, standing at the edge of the circle of light, tried to back off, and was met by a dozen soldiers closing in on her. With blood in her eye and a scream she charged ahead anyway and was gunned down.

Sekh'Amun, deciding it was her destiny to die in the service of Sia, screamed and charged at the Stargate, wildly firing "Zat" blasts at it. A sharpshooter on Cromwell's response team, remembering the Colonel's orders, fired a round at the naked woman's hip. The bullet found its mark, shattering the joint and cracking the pelvic bone. Sekh'Amun fell to the ground, wailing in pain but still alive for now.

* * *

"They took both Snakes down." O'Neill said. "One's dead, the other's on the ground with a leg wound. They're treating her now and will get her to the field hospital ASAP. She got off a few 'Zat' rounds at the Stargate."

"I'd better go check it out." Carter said. O'Neill sent her off with a nod.

* * *

Bastet and M'Toth had to abandon their observations when they realized the enemy was closing in to take up positions in the alleys. They didn't know the fate of their sisters but were sure it couldn't be pleasant. Bastet decided they had seen all they could and they were making their way back to the Mastadge pen. They were taking a roundabout route, making sure that if they were spotted they wouldn't lead the enemy to their last two teammates-though that was unlikely. The center of town was now also the center of the rebels' attention, just as Bastet had wanted. Now she hoped it would stay that way long enough for them to make their escape.

As they traveled, Bastet kept her eyes peeled for the slightest hint that they were being followed or otherwise observed. They made their way on cat's feet, trying to be as invisible as physically possible. Had she not been in such an alert state, she might not have noticed the lone Tau'Ri heading down a nearby street. She froze and inhaled sharply, then gestured to M'Toth to stay perfectly still.

As she watched the human, eyes wide open, Sia's words came flooding back into her mind:

_Target of opportunity . . . _

Exchanging quick hand signals, the Jaffa advanced, staying quiet but moving rapidly until their path intersected that of the human, who was looking down at some equipment. Bastet fired a single "Zat" blast, careful not to kill the Tau'Ri. Then she grabbed her captive and flung the unconscious form over her shoulders. They moved out rapidly then, with M'Toth taking the lead, less concerned with secrecy than they were with getting their prize back to the Goddess.

* * *

When they got back to the Mastadge pen, they were surprised to find more guards standing near the gate. Three were Tau'Ri, two were those armored rebels. They had brought the bodies of the fallen soldiers back in and closed the gate. Bastet grimaced. They would have to fight their way _out_ as well.

M'Toth signaled Bastet to stay put, then crawled along the sand to the pen. Then, using the sharp claws in her gauntlets to create handholds in the wall, began to climb up the side of the pen, step by step. When she got to the roof, she had a perfect vantage point from which to attack. She took careful aim with her weapon and fired.

She managed to kill the two rebels before the Tau'Ri fired back, spraying bullets at the pen roof but missing her. The Selket Guards still hiding inside came out to see what was happening, then started shooting when they saw the Tau'Ri running toward them. The fire from the three Jaffa finished off the soldiers.

Bastet raced to the pen with her captive. Already she could hear alerting cries coming from nearby. She picked a beast and slung the captive onto its back, then climbed on herself. She held on tight and kicked the Mastadge into a gallop. It was a horrible ride, but was the fastest getaway she could manage.

One of the other Selket Guards recovered a staff weapon and blasted away the gate just seconds before Bastet reached it. Soon the First Prime was out and galloping away, and soon M'Toth and the last guard were following behind on another Mastadge. They picked up the fifth guard on the run.

Another _hellee-copter_ approached as they made good their escape, but several blasts from the captured staff weapon got close, and one damaged the rotors. The aircraft dipped and turned away. By the time the desert vehicles got around to pursue, the Mastadges were lost in the shadowy dunes.

* * *

It was early morning by the time they got back to the Sphinx. Only one of the Abydonian suns was peeking over the horizon. Sia was still in her sarcophagus, having only gotten a few hours' sleep. She had been up most of the night working on a research project. Bastet felt the usual trepidation that came with waking a God from his or her slumber, but it couldn't be avoided.

Bastet touched a contact and the sarcophagus opened up. When it was fully open Sia rose with a gasp. She was wearing a simple nightgown, and her chest rose and fell in it as she caught her breath. Finally, she turned to see her First Prime and her warriors.

"This had better be good." The Goddess said.

Bastet merely smiled through her wraps and stood aside, as did the others. Tied up and kneeling on the floor behind them was Sia's "Target of Opportunity": Major Samantha Carter.

Sia smiled wide. Once again, Bastet had proven herself worthy. "Excellent . . . " she hissed as her eyes glowed.

* * *

**NEXT: ABYDOS STORM**


	5. Abydos Storm!

**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Sci-Fi Originals, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**Author's Notes:** Pleeeeeeease forgive me!! (Image of me on my knees before you) I'm sorry I took so long! I'm sorry I neglected your Stargate reading pleasure to work on other stuff! Mea culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea _Maxima_ Culpa!!!

Now that the obligatory groveling is out of the way: This chapter is especially long because I'm trying to keep the final number of chapters down to a preset limit. So get started reading it now!

**The Return of Ra: "Abydos Storm!"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Colonel Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Martouf were headed for "Central Park" at a brisk pace. Bra'tac was off supervising a thorough search of the city and was keeping touch by radio. Colonel Cromwell was on the radio already, giving O'Neill a situation report. "We have ten casualties in all, seven KIAs, 5 SGC and two Chulakians. Duster Three is down with a busted rotor. The plane crew says it'll be out of commission for about a day. It looks like there were about six bad guys--girls, whatever. We have one KIA and one casualty, as I said before. The live one is on her way to the field hospital. There's no way to tell what kind of damage she inflicted on the 'Gate."

"What does Major Carter think?" O'Neill asked.

There was a pause that raised the hackles on O'Neill's neck before Cromwell answered. "Major Carter? I haven't seen her."

"She should be there right now. I sent her to check the Stargate."

Another pause. "She never got here, Colonel."

O'Neill didn't answer, but he grimaced as his pace increased to a run. He changed direction, confusing his party as they rushed to keep up.

"Where are we headed?" Daniel asked.

"Field Hospital!" O'Neill said, as he pulled away.

* * *

Over the years that Abydos had been interacting with Earth, local healers had learned a great deal about modern emergency first aid from their Tau'Ri counterparts, and had combined these new skills with native practices in an effort to modernize their own healing arts. As such, they were well able to handle the light casualties that might be generated by a minor skirmish or two until Dr. Janet Frasier arrived with the equipment and personnel to staff a proper battlefield hospital unit.

Even so, they might have been hard-pressed to help the wounded Selket Guard if she weren't a Jaffa, and therefore had a larval Goa'uld doing most of the work. Though she had been bleeding profusely from her wound and could barely move from the pain, she still had enough strength to fight her captors all the way to the large, empty storage building that the healers had converted into a sparse operating theater. It had taken four SGC troops to hold her down while the Abydonians went to work, setting what was left of her shattered hip and pelvis. The larva's actions had already caused the body to expel the bullet, so there was little left to do but close the already healing wound.

After rushing to get to the field hospital, O'Neill had to force himself to wait patiently until the Abydonians finished. As he did, a sergeant brought over the weapons they had confiscated from her. The Colonel grimaced as he examined the gauntlets, trying to figure out how to retract the "zat" emitter sticking out from one.

Soon the Abydonian healers moved away, leaving the Jaffa to struggle against her captors. One of the women approached O'Neill and said something which Jackson translated. "She said they've done all they can."

"Thank her." O'Neill said. Jackson did so, and the woman bowed to both of them before moving aside. Then the men approached the bed. The Selket Guard noticed the group immediately and relaxed, deciding that she would not escape with the main Tau'Ri and Tok'Ra in attendance. The soldiers holding her down relaxed a little and backed off with a soft command from O'Neill, but they kept their weapons ready just in case. The woman covered herself with a sheet, more out of defiance than embarrassment. O'Neill was unimpressed.

"Well, if it isn't 'Jaffa Warrior Barbie'!" He said as the men gathered around. "Martouf, I want you to question her, Daniel, I need you to confirm the translation. I want to know two things: 'What was she doing here?', and 'Where is Major Carter?', and not necessarily in that order."

Martouf was about to speak when the Selket Guard beat him to it. "I can speak your guttural language, Tau'Ri _dog_...and my name is Sekh'Amun--not _'Bar-bee'_!"

O'Neill sneered and moved his face close to hers, causing her to bare her teeth and hiss at him. "Then this will be quick. Tell me what I want to know." He growled.

"I would sooner be your concubine..._slave_." She said, with an air of utter contempt.

Suddenly a burst of blue lightning hit her square in the chest and spread across her body, causing her to cry out and tremble. No one was more surprised than Jackson that it happened. He hadn't even noticed that O'Neill was wearing the woman's gauntlet. Sekh'Amun shook herself and rocked back and forth, trying to fight the effects of the stun blast and stay conscious.

"I assume it's like a typical 'zat' gun." O'Neill said. "First shot stuns, second kills." He took aim. "Let's try again."

"Jack..." Jackson began, but Martouf put a hand on the archeologist's shoulder, cutting off his protest. Teal'c merely glared at the deluded Jaffa.

"It...is an..._honor_ to die for the goddess!" Sekh'Amun gasped.

"I suppose it is." O'Neill said. He'd finally figured out how to retract the "zat" emitter. A flick of the wrist inside the gauntlet, then... "But let's just see how _little_ Sekh'Amun feels about it!"

With that, O'Neill's clawed hand arced right into the Jaffa's midsection, piercing the sheet and sinking the five sharp blades into her larva pouch.

Sekh'Amun's scream could be heard two buildings away.

* * *

"They were wearing these." Bastet said as she handed the night-vision goggles to Sia. "It appears they perform the same function as the eyes of our helmets, allowing the Tau'Ri soldiers to see great distances and in the dark. They were carrying familiar Earth weapons, _Empee Fives_, _Em-six-teen_s_. _Possibly grenades, but none were used on Sekh'Amun and Qoras."

"How many Tok'Ra did you see?" Sia asked.

"Only six in the pursuit, but I am sure there had to be more. The Tok'Ra would not miss this opportunity to deal a glancing blow and would therefore send a large force to assist the Tau'Ri."

"And the others? Jaffa in armor fighting with the Tau'Ri and Tok'Ra?"

A pause. "We only saw a few of them as well, and could not tell whose Jaffa they were."

"And how many helicopters and desert vehicles?"

Bastet gulped. "We only saw two of each, My Goddess, but I cannot imagine that the Tau'Ri wouldn't have brought more if they managed to bring those with them."

"Another assumption." Sia said softly, and Bastet cringed. "You have made several of those in your report." The Goa'uld got very close. "I hope those assumptions don't get you killed when you attack."

There was a sting to the statement, but physical punishment did not follow, and Bastet exhaled in relief as Sia continued past. The Nubian goddess strolled up to the kneeling and bound Major Samantha Carter. She lifted the human's head daintily by the chin and examined her pretty face. "Maybe we can get more precise information from this one." Sia wondered aloud.

"I'll never tell you anything." Carter said through clenched teeth. She was fighting the grogginess left over from having been stunned.

Sia cocked her head for a moment. "Oh, you'll tell me more than you realize." She cooed, then said to Bastet: "Get as much rest as you can and prepare for the assault. We will attack at the appointed hour. I would speak with this one alone."

Bastet saluted and bowed, then gestured for the Jaffa to follow her out. Soon Sia was alone with Carter in the sarcophagus chamber. The Goa'uld paced around slowly as she began. "Can we be honest with each other, Captain Carter?"

"_Major_ Carter." Carter corrected, her strength returning. Sia smiled when Carter couldn't see. _She cares for precision_, the alien thought. _This will be easy._

"I beg your pardon. I let myself forget your promotion. Refresh my memory further: Was it before or after you were blended with Jolinar of Makshur?"

"Jola who?" Carter said, trying to deflect the question. Sia ignored her.

"Oh, of course, now I remember. It was soon after your father--his name is Jacob, I believe--was blended with Selmak. Have you ever wondered why your family lends itself to being blended so easily, Major Carter? I have a theory that you might be descended from one of my brethren's 'comfort women', and your DNA compels you to always strive to take part in the perfection that is my race. What do _you_ think?"

Carter fought back the indignant rage that began to show on her face and forced herself not to respond, considering that the best option.

"No opinion? That is a shame. I had hoped you would be as curious about that as I was. I know you are a scientist, and are considered to be very intelligent--for a Tau'Ri. I am a scientist as well, and such minor mysteries plague my subconscious all the time."

It was too much for the Major. "_Scientists_ don't pretend to be gods. Scientists don't use the rubrics of superstition and myth to enslave innocent people. By your standards, _Josef Mengele_ was a scientist."

"By my standards, Josef Mengele was an amateur. 'Master race', indeed. I am hurt that you would make such a comparison."

"I'm sorry...that I can't hurt you as much physically I've just hurt you verbally...yet." Carter said. Sia stopped pacing and forced herself to smile at her prisoner.

"No, you can't, but you _can_ assist me in one of my endeavors."

"I've already told you that I won't tell you anything."

Sia sighed. "I did so hope that your reasoning skills would be different from the average slave's. You have just prefaced an oath not to tell me anything by reminding me that you told me something. Do you not see the conflict in logic?"

Carter frowned, twisting her mouth in contempt. _Bad enough she's got me trussed up in front of her like a turkey, but if she's going to start correcting my _grammar... "Well, if you're so scary brilliant, why do you need me to tell you what we've got in store for you and your snake-carrying stooges?"

Sia blinked in surprise. "Why, Major Carter. I_ don't_ need you to tell me what you have waiting for us. I'm sure it's a very capable force, and I'm just as sure that Anubis and Bastet will smash it when they assault the city and retake the Stargate. I try to interfere very little in military affairs. As I said before, I am a scientist. I need your help with a scientific endeavor, an experiment I'm currently running."

Carter's surprise was genuine. "What experiment could you need my help with?"

"One that you are intimately familiar with...or rather, someone _like_ you is intimately familiar with."

The subtle hint was just the sandbag that Carter needed to fall on her head. "Ra. Your alternate Ra. He's suffering from Entropic Cascade Failure isn't he?" She stopped herself from talking then, realizing the scientist in her was getting the better of her, and that was probably what Sia wanted.

"I'm not certain." Sia said. It _had_ been easy. "If not yet, then his time is running short. I tried to use his sarcophagus to insert some preventive measures into his physiognomy, but my recent scans show that they appear to be failing for no discernible reason."

"Aw." Carter said, unable to hide her glee and not trying very hard to do it. "So sorry to see him go. Does that mean you'll be leaving soon, as well?"

"Neither of us is going anywhere. You are going to help me save him."

"I'm not going to help you save Ra." Carter said. _Grammar check _that, _bitch_.

"Do not make your decision in haste, Major Carter. You have yet to hear my offer."

* * *

"'Target of opportunity'?" Daniel Jackson said as O'Neill's group returned to headquarters. They were discussing the answers they'd just received from the Selket Guard now being ministered to _again_ in the field hospital. O'Neill had come very close to severing the larva inside her into many pieces before she gave in. "So they didn't intend to kidnap Sam?

"That's what the phrase means, Danny." O'Neill said. "They were here on a recon mission, and I guess taking Carter was icing on the cake for them."

"Do you think they know that Samantha was the architect of our battle plan?" Martouf asked.

"It does not matter." Teal'c said. "She _is_ the architect of the plan. If they do not know this already, they will get the information from her under torture. We can be sure that it will take time, however. Major Carter is strong, and the enemy may not strike until they have broken her."

"But we can't rely on her buying us time, Teal'c." O'Neill said. "She could just as easily be a hostage or human shield." He turned on his radio. "Cromwell, O'Neill!"

"Cromwell here." The radio said back.

"Colonel, I'm gonna need you to take over Operations. Major Carter is now a POW."

"Bad News, boss. Take over Ops, roger. Be advised: The Stargate is up and running. Dr. Frasier has just arrived with a medical staff and a bunch of equipment."

"Get her squared away and start getting the troops to their posts. Time just became a bad guy."

"You got it, Colonel. I'm out!" The radio went dead.

"Teal'c, lets get to the command glider. Daniel, Martouf, you know your jobs. Have your people rest easy at their posts but get everybody awake and ready to shoot. We're officially in defense mode."

Jackson and Martouf went off to their command posts while Teal'c and O'Neill went to theirs. Cromwell got in touch with Bra'tac and soon the search for more infiltrators was abandoned. There'd be more than enough invaders to go around very soon.

* * *

Sia untied Carter's feet and stood the prisoner up, then led her out of the sarcophagus chamber with a warning: "You are free to walk with me, but attempt to hurt me or escape and you will die where you stand." It was enough to keep Carter docile--for the time being--since she couldn't tell what security measures the Goa'uld may have hidden along their path. They walked through the ship in silence until they reached Sia's throne room. It was as opulent as Daniel Jackson's report on the first Abydos mission had described Ra's. There were several servants waiting in attendance, mainly adolescent children who looked to be between ten and fifteen years old.

Sia led Carter to a large bay window that opened a whole side of the room to a view of the vast Abydonian desert. The first sun had risen a third of the way above the horizon, and the sky was filled with autumn hues as dawn broke. Carter knew that it would not be long before all three suns would rise, and the attack would commence. On further inspection she noticed that she could see the right profile of the Sphinx at the left edge of the window, and she realized that they must be in the headdress of the machine. The horizon tracked slowly to the right, opposing the motion of the stylized head.

"Such desolate beauty." Sia said. "It will soon be Ra's again, as will the universe. You will be witness to the greatest return to glory in cosmic history. I will bring the Sun God back to prominence , and rule at his side."

Carter smirked and sidled up to Sia. "You know," she whispered, "nowadays most women avoid tying their futures to the careers of immature men."

"Says the woman who plays--what is the Tau'Ri phrase?--'Second Banana' to the _Great Colonel Jack O'Neill_." Sia whispered back. "Or would that be 'Third Banana'? After all, there _is_ Daniel Jackson to consider." Carter remained silent as Sia went on in a normal tone of voice. "However, I did not bring you up here to trade barbs with you."

"You said you had an offer." Carter said.

"Yes, I did. I offer a trade: your help, for your life...and your world."

"Excuse me?"

"It is rather straight-forward. Soon the combined armies of Ra and Sia will descend on the Abydonians like locusts. I cannot stop that from happening, but I can stop the rest of our plans. Once we are done here, we will use the Stargate to send an army to your homeworld."

"You'll never make it." Carter said.

"What will stop us? Your vaunted 'iris'? That is no longer a factor."

Carter felt a chill run down her spine. It had been a bluff, since the iris wasn't protecting the Stargate Earth was using at the moment, but if it hadn't been a bluff... "Others have tried to breach it..."

"'Others' were not _me_." Sia said, and her eyes flashed as she moved away from the window. "Be assured, we _will_ defeat your iris, destroy your SGC, and take over your paltry civilization...unless I can convince mighty Ra to spare you. I might be able to do so, if I were to tell him a Tau'Ri offered her services to him willingly in exchange for the safety of her world, then convince him to strike the deal."

"And the help I would offer would be to help prevent his total dissolution from our reality." Carter said as she followed Sia.

"Precisely." Sia said, smiling.

"So he knows _precisely_ what's wrong with him?"

"Of course not. I told you I wanted honesty between us, Major Carter. For one thing, I'm sure you realize that we are not 'gods' as you understand the term."

Again Carter was surprised. "I never thought I'd hear one of you admit it."

"Only to you, and other Tau'Ri, since you have evolved enough intellectually without the influence of my people to peer beyond the falsehoods we maintain for our more...compliant followers. However, playing such a role requires a certain level of the actors' own belief to bring out that belief in others. I am not 'pretending' to be a god. As far as I and my worshipers are concerned, I _am_ a god!

"Yet, many of my people fail to understand that this belief can be carried too far, usually at their peril. Ra is one of those, probably the worst for it since he was the first. It was his belief in his own immortality and power that led him to come to this world so poorly defended and open to rebellion. It is that belief that will force this new Ra to reject any information I give him about Quantum Mirrors or alternate universes. Telling him such things would make him doubt his godhood, and gods' belief systems are just as fragile as those of their subjects. Such doubts will affect his ability to rule, defeating the purpose of my whole mission."

"So you have to present the problem to him in a way that doesn't conflict with his beliefs, and yet convince him that a lowly Tau'Ri might be able to help you solve it, in exchange for his promise not to decimate the _first_ world that rebelled against him?"

"You make it sound as if it were impossible."

"I'd hate to be the one to try."

"That is not a choice you have. Once you accept my offer you will have no choice but to help me make the case."

"What makes you so sure I'll accept?"

"Acceptance is the only realistic option open to you."

"Realistic? Choosing to save my own hide and my own world by helping to save the glorified _thug_ that put them in peril in the first place? By helping to save the alien scum that will wipe out the Tok'Ra, decimate this planet's populace and enslave the universe once he's back to full health? How could such cynicism be realistic?"

Sia wheeled on the Major, eyes flashing and body shaking with barely concealed rage. "It is realistic because it is the only option your narrow, sentimental mind will allow you to choose! You will do the math, and like the good, self-righteous _primitive_ that you are, you will come to the conclusion that subtracting six billion lives, including your own, from the rolls of the enslaved and dead will be preferable to _adding_ them, which is exactly what you'll be doing if you refuse me! Decide _now_, Tau'Ri! I'm through haggling with you!"

Major Carter balled up her fists, and her muscles strained, wanting to lunge and strangle the evil tyrant that stood before her. But she couldn't, because she was miles away from safety and one didn't strangle the lioness in the lions' den. She would probably be dead seconds after her hands tightened their grip, fading alternate Ra or not.

She needed to buy time, for herself and the defenders in the city, and she couldn't do that if she were dead. Ultimately, there really was only one..._realistic_ course of action.

* * *

O'Neill had to hand it to Cromwell. The entire force was turned out a lot sooner than he'd expected. All four desert vehicles were out and patrolling the perimeter of the city. The Tok'Ra and Chulakians were manning the walls, the Tok'Ra anchored on the Southwest corner and Bra'tac's people on the Northeast. Both teams were augmented by SGC troops with Light Anti-Armor and shoulder-fired Anti-Air Weapons, and together they formed a heavy weapons defensive line. The Abydonian volunteers were deployed at key points around the interior to handle any breaches, while more SGC troops and Special Forces troops conducted regular patrols on foot outside the walls. The remainder of the ground force would be held in reserve, and hopefully could be kept intact until the next phase of Carter's plan could be put into action. The plan had called for four of the helicopters to be deployed with two in reserve, but with one down that became impossible, so one would launch to fly cover for the super death glider, while the others kept their engines running on the ground and would scramble when the shooting started.

The second sun was cresting the horizon as Teal'c and O'Neill boarded their command craft. The Colonel decided that they were as ready as they could be to fend off an attack. He just hoped they weren't underestimating the enemy.

* * *

The Goa'uld invasion force was ranged in front of the Sphinx Ship. The third sun had just broken the horizon, and the force would begin its march in mere moments.

Bastet watched with forced patience as Anubis climbed one of the forepaws of the Sphinx to deliver an address to the Jaffa. She knew intellectually that it was only right the First Prime of the Chief God was in overall command, but she also knew that there would have _been_ no invasion if it weren't for Sia. That meant it should be _her_ addressing this legion. She took it philosophically. It was always possible for her to act as First Prime to _both_ gods, should something...unfortunate happen to Anubis during the coming battle.

"Jaffa, _Kree!_" He called, and all eyes turned to him, Horus and Selket Guards turning as one.

"Fellow Jaffa," Anubis said, "today we embark in the greatest adventure in history! Today we will return the Mighty Amen-Ra to his rightful place as ruler of the heavens! We will smash his enemies, retake his world, and make the lesser gods fear his name once again! It is our duty, our _privilege_, to fight and die for the Gods! Let no one shirk this duty, lest they face _my_ wrath before they are brought before the gods to answer for their cowardice! Our _hearts_, our _minds_, our _LIVES_ for Mighty Ra!!!"

"Our _hearts_, our _minds_, our _lives_ for Mighty Ra!!! Our _hearts_, our _minds_, our _lives_ for Mighty Ra!!!" All the Jaffa took up the cheer. Bastet was not the least bit surprised at the fact that her Selket Guards had joined right in, nor was she surprised to hear herself shout the words. Sia would have demanded nothing less, as it was her will as well as Ra's. Then again, a small part of her couldn't help but alter the oath in her head: _My heart, my mind, my life for _my Goddess!

"_Kree_, Jaffa!" Anubis called out, ending the cheers. He pointed at the third sun and proclaimed: "The time is now! For the glory of the Gods..._Advance!_"

It was time to retake a world.

* * *

"How long has he been in there?" Sia asked as the Horus Guard led her to Ra's sarcophagus. With the attack commencing, she'd decided to return to the Pyramid Ship to watch the event unfold with her patron. She transported with Major Carter in tow, flanked by two Selket Guards, and found out that the Sun God was regenerating.

"Since soon after you left, Goddess." The Horus Guard said as they approached the device. "He left orders that only you were to awaken him."

Sia went over to the sarcophagus as the Jaffa stopped a respectful distance away and dropped to their knees. A not-so-gentle whack to the backs of her legs sent Carter to her knees as well, then she felt a hand press her head down in a bow. "Avert your gaze!" Sia hissed as she touched the controls. She bowed as the device fell open.

Ra awoke with a scream, this one more pitiful than any other. He rose up and tried to stand, but almost fell out of the sarcophagus in the attempt. Carter dared a glance at him, then couldn't help but look up when she saw what was happening to him. He was..."out of phase" was the only way she could describe it. His true image was lost in a blurred series of after-images, each one trapped in a distinct moment in time. Sia couldn't help but stare as well. Both women knew that Ra's days were officially numbered.

He regained some control over his body as the effect subsided, and his first act was to grab Sia by the throat with one hand and squeeze. The bloodlust was plain on his face, but the Selket Guards forced themselves not to react.

"What have you done to me?!!" Ra growled at the goddess.

"Nothing, My Lord!" Sia gasped, barely able to get her breath. "I...live to...serve you!"

Ra released her as he felt his strength come back. "Then what is happening to me?"

Sia caught her breath and began the story she had rehearsed with Carter. "My Lord...my Lord, you must understand how long you were vulnerable before I found you. There were so many opportunities for your enemies to try to finish what the Tau'Ri had started. I'm afraid one may have found a way to hasten your death. A sort of plague has infected you, one that was triggered, unfortunately, by the method I used to revive you. I tried to cure it using the sarcophagus, but even my modifications can only alleviate some of the effects of the sickness." It was _almost_ the truth.

"Who has done this?!" Ra demanded. "Tell me so that I may rip out his heart, and tell me what you are doing to find a cure!"

"All I can, my Lord. I do not know who has done this, yet, but once I know the exact nature of the disease it will be easier to find out."

Ra turned away in disgust and scanned the room with a malicious gaze. That was when he noticed Carter. "What is this _slave_ doing here?"

"She has begged an audience with you, to plead on behalf of her people."

Ra stepped out of the sarcophagus and stared at Carter. "Make your plea." He said, patience already waning.

Carter took her cue and said her lines. "Forgive my impertinence, My Lord, but I had come to the Goddess to ask her to spare my world, and I was told that only you could grant such mercy."

Ra sneered and approached Carter with slow, deliberate steps. "You are Tau'Ri. Why should I grant you any mercy?"

"I offer my services to you, a lifetime of loyalty and obeisance as payment for the salvation of my home."

Ra reached her and looked down in contempt. "You would serve me forever starting any time I chose. Why should your obedience cost me my revenge on your world?"

Carter realized she was losing him. She had to play the trump card a little early. "I know of your illness. I've seen it before."

The Sun God grabbed her chin and crushed her face in his hand. "How do you know of my illness?"

Carter fought the pain as she answered. "My...sister was afflicted with the same malady. I saw what you were experiencing as you emerged from your sleep and remembered seeing her go through the same thing." Ra released her and she continued. "Whoever infected you must have taken the illness from my world. If I tell the Goddess what I know, and assist her in her efforts, we may be able to find a cure more quickly."

"And for these actions you would demand that I spare your world?"

"I would gladly give thanks for the pardon of Earth by doing anything I can to...further the glory of the Mighty Ra." She managed not to choke or grit her teeth as she spoke, but it was getting harder and harder to humble herself.

Ra bent low and looked her right in the eye, as if trying to find any duplicity in her gaze. Carter played her part well, for a moment later he said: "Sia, you are witness to this decree. The Tau'Ri and their homeworld will remain unharmed, for only as long as _I_ live." He stood and walked away, leaving Carter to absorb the implicit warning.

"It shall be as you say, My Lord." Sia said, as Ra returned to the sarcophagus.

"No!" Carter yelled as he was about to step into it. Her heart stopped when both Goa'uld turned to glare at her with their eyes blazing.

Sia came to her senses first. "Perhaps, My Lord, it is best not to use the sarcophagus just now, since it does not seem to be helping."

Ra looked at her, then back at Carter. "Very well." He said. "I will be in my bath. Tell me of any news of the battle or your progress on the cure." The Sun God departed a few moments later, and everyone stood. Sia stalked over to Carter and slapped the Major hard across the cheek.

"Are you insane?!" She demanded.

Carter glared back at her. "Do you _want_ him to die now? His molecular structure is already unstable! The sarcophagus will just do more damage as it tries to regenerate him!"

"I _know_ that, you fool! I've been trying to keep him out of it since I first brought him back, but you are _Tau'Ri_! You do not presume to tell a God 'No'! And what were you thinking before then? You almost made him think your people infected him!"

"The conversation wasn't exactly going the way you predicted, 'Goddess'!"

"It didn't have to go exactly the way I predicted, as long as it went the way I _wanted_!" Sia turned to her Selket Guards. "Take her back to the ship. Show her my laboratory and get her anything she needs to begin work, but do not let her out of your sight! I will be back after the battle is over."

The women led Carter back to the transport rings as Sia and the Horus Guard headed for Ra's Throne Room.

* * *

The waiting was the worst part. As Teal'c flew a lazy circle around the perimeter of the city, O'Neill wondered for a fleeting moment if the Snakes had decided that li'l Abydos wasn't worth the trouble.

No such luck. "Here they come!" He yelled.

The attack began from the air. Teal'c and O'Neill could see clearly as twelve death gliders dived on the city from out of the suns, weapons primed and ready to shoot.

The super death glider had been converted from its lifting role to a command and control one. This mainly involved carrying a powerful SINCGARS field radio and a few small TVs, connected to antennae and cameras hung haphazardly on the exterior of the airframe. O'Neill got on the radio.

"Cromwell! Get the choppers in the air, and get the air defense network up and running!"

"Roger!" Cromwell acknowledged from his command post in the Elders' conference chamber. He then switched channels. "Command to Duster lead! Scramble! Get your birds off the ground!"

"Roger!" The lead helicopter pilot radioed. "Flight, This is Lead! Scramble!"

Four Mini 500-Ds kicked up a cloud of dust as they gunned their engines and leaped into the air. Each was armed with two modified Stinger missiles, two TOW missiles and a .50 caliber machine gun. The last 500-D, Duster 6, was already in the air, flying high cover for the death glider and armed with four Stingers.

Around the city, teams of Abydonians and SGC security troops were climbing to the rooftops of the highest buildings carrying staff weapons and shoulder-fired Stingers, and once in place would form a ragged but credible Anti-Aircraft Artillery network. It was their job to bring down any death gliders the helicopters missed.

Duster Flight firewalled its throttles and rose straight up to meet the inbound _udajeet_. The pilots were already going for target locks on the hawk-like craft when the lead pilot ordered: "Duster Flight, pick your targets and fire at will!"

O'Neill listened in on the radio calls as the helos closed on the death gliders and salvoed their weapons. "2 has good lock!" "3 has lock!" "Missile away! Taking next target!" Soon eight Stingers were streaking into the air, each one tracking an individual glider as the Jaffa returned fire. One Stinger was blown up by an energy blast, another missed when its target jinked the wrong way. The others hit, damaging four gliders and destroying two outright. Three of the damaged gliders veered away from the city. A Stinger from Duster 6 caught the last one as it swung around to intercept the super death glider.

"Air-to-Air ordnance expended," Duster lead reported, "in hot with guns!" With that, O'Neill watched in awe as four helicopters rose to duel gun to gun with the slick alien fighters, knowing the odds were against them. Each chopper engaged a glider, leaving two to break off and continue on their mission.

One came after the super death glider again, energy weapons blazing, and it took all of Teal'c's will not to haul off and blast the attacker to smithereens. He restrained himself because he remembered Major Carter's briefing. His job was to keep O'Neill where the Colonel could see the whole battlefield, and he was to restrict any combat maneuvering to evasion tactics. So the Jaffa dodged instead of engaging, but felt some small comfort in seeing that Duster 6 had read his mind. The helicopter pilot went a little trigger-happy, loosing two Stingers and firing a hail of .50 caliber rounds into the attacker, blowing it away.

The other stray dove on the city and began a strafing run, trying to target population clusters and marketplaces, but it was thrown off by a swarm of staff blasts that reached up at it at every turn, driving it into two Stingers that blasted its wings off. The fuselage and the Jaffa pilot spiraled into the sand just beyond the wall and exploded.

Surprise and luck could only get the good guys so far. Duster Lead was blasted into the sand by its target, which veered off and pursued Duster 4, which was pouring bullets into another glider. 4 was blown up in the air, but had caused enough damage to make its target pull away and abandon the mission. Duster 2, the new Duster Lead, ordered 5, 6 and Teal'c to disengage and fall back to the city. As everyone complied, O'Neill prayed that the AAA teams would have no trouble acquiring the right targets.

He needn't have worried. The three remaining enemy gliders were pounded by staff blasts and Stingers. One disintegrated, one crashed to the ground and the last one broke off, leaving the mission unfinished.

"Son-of-a-gun." O'Neill said. They had beaten back the air raid. It was probably the greatest upset in history. O'Neill hoped it was also a good omen. "Let's get back into place! We need to see what's coming at us from the landing ships!"

Teal'c turned again and headed back to his air station with Duster 6 still close by. Duster Lead ordered 5 to land to refuel and rearm its Stinger launchers. O'Neill adjusted his cameras for long range scanning as they reached open desert again. On one of the screens he caught a large cloud of dust approaching in the distance. He knew immediately that it wasn't one of Abydos's famous sandstorms.

"All units, heads up!" He said over the radio. "Enemy column approaching from the Northwest. Repeat: Enemy coming from the Northwest! Weapons teams, stand ready!" he zoomed in as close as possible, but what he was seeing confused him. There appeared to be six huge vehicles, but their shapes were broken up, uneven-looking. "Cromwell, get the UAV on a Northwest heading and give me a low pass over the enemy formation!"

Cromwell passed the order along, and soon the UAV they had orbiting high above the area for wider coverage turned and arced down, diving right onto the inbound Jaffa vehicles.

O'Neill watched the video feed being transmitted to the death glider from the UAV. The small aircraft had come out of the sparse clouds and the picture of the enemy was getting clearer and clearer. O'Neill's worst fears were confirmed when he could see the enemy vehicles in detail.

Each of the vehicles was a mechanical scorpion, roughly the length of a massive tractor-trailer and made of the same carved-relief gray-black metal as the death gliders. Fully articulated, the machines traveled on six robotic legs with the speed of a sports car, kicking up clouds of sand in their wake. The stingers and claws of the beasts were replaced by massive energy cannons, designed like the barrels of staff weapons. As the UAV camera zoomed in on one of the cockpit-like heads, O'Neill could see that a Selket Guard pilot was strapped into each one.

He got on the radio again. "Okay, everybody, listen up! Enemy _armored_ column is approaching from the Northwest. Six large vehicles with heavy weapons! I want Road Runner Team and all recon teams to form a two-hundred meter skirmish line to protect the Northwest corner of the city. Form the line half a klick out and dig-in. I want Duster Flight ready to go air-to-mud as soon as the column gets within range. We want to keep them from splitting up and surrounding the city. Heavy weapons teams, stay at your posts! Do not concentrate on one threat axis until we're sure where that will be. Target the "heads" and "legs" of the vehicles. You'll see what I mean when they come into visual range." With that, O'Neill clicked off, let out a ragged breath and spoke to Teal'c. "Giant scorpions! Jeez! What do they call _those_ things??"

"I would not know, O'Neill," Teal'c said, a strange tone in his voice. "I have never encountered one before. It is uncharacteristic of Sia to use so visible a weapon."

"They _are_ hard to miss." O'Neill conceded.

"Perhaps this new endeavor has emboldened her more than we realized. There may be weapons in her arsenal that no one but her Jaffa has ever seen, waiting for the day when she will use them to overthrow the universe. If this is an example of that secret cache, I fear the day when she will make her ultimate move is close at hand."

"Yeah," O'Neill said. "I hate surprises, too."

* * *

"How does she expect me to read these notes?" Carter mumbled. "They're all in Gould."

As she stared blankly at the imaging screen, Carter wondered idly if she could convince Sia to kidnap Daniel to translate for her. Of course she wouldn't really ask, but it didn't matter anyway. One of the Selket Guards that had brought her to the lab had turned on Sia's computer for her. Seeing Carter's confusion, the guard touched a contact on the screen. Suddenly, the glyphs and characters in the notations morphed into English text.

"Thank you." She said. The guard merely scowled and backed off. Carter shrugged and looked over the notes. The computer was set to display Sia's research into the effects of Entropic Cascade Failure, including the Goa'uld's tentative thoughts on a way to halt or reverse the process. She had even included notes on the modifications she'd made to Ra's sarcophagus. Carter could tell from reading them that the attempt to fortify his physical make-up was dicey at best.

On closer inspection, Carter saw that the database worked in the same way as a "PDF" file. There was a menu going down the right side of the screen. She reached up and touched a contact in the menu. She was taken out of the file she was reading and found herself looking at the main page of Sia's scientific journals. There were hundreds of entries. She scrolled down the table of contents. There was page after page of files on weapons she'd never imagined before. _I have to get this information back somehow_, she thought.

Carter touched one of the weapons files and the pages were displayed on the screen. The entry contained notes and diagrams on an explosive device with a warhead with unusual properties. _Why that material?_ She wondered as she delved deeper into the file.

"What are you doing?!" The Selket Guard barked. "Stop reading that!" The Jaffa moved to turn off the display, but Carter blocked her and spoke quickly.

"I need to be able to see everything in the files. Maybe something else Sia was working on is creating an environmental condition that's exacerbating Ra's condition..."

The Selket Guard grimaced and shook her head. Apparently the Goa'uld didn't waste energy telling _all_ her guards about her scientific endeavors, and it seemed this one had little stomach for technical discussion. "No! The Goddess would...!"

"The 'Goddess' instructed you to give me everything I need. I _need_ to see everything in here. Do you want to be the one to tell the Goddess you refused my request if something in her files might have contained an answer she'd overlooked?"

"The Goddess would _never_ overlook anything!"

Carter smiled as she said: "Then why am I here and not in a cell?"

The rage was plain on the Selket Guard's face, but she backed off. Carter turned back to the screen. The Selket Guard was spurred into action by what she'd seen, an image of the explosive. So why was it so important for Carter to not read the file? She started to read the text very carefully.

* * *

The skirmish line had formed. It was anchored in the middle and at both ends by the desert vehicles of Road Runner Team and interspersed with humans with Light Anti-Armor Weapons. The TOW tubes on the vehicles were already loaded with Dragon anti-tank missiles and the gunners had their hands on the triggers. Duster 5 was now flying cover for O'Neill while Dusters 2 and 6 refueled and rearmed with anti-tank weapons. O'Neill was glad they'd thought to bring so much heavy firepower.

He checked the feed from the UAV again. The operators had given the little plane some altitude as it tracked the Jaffa force, but some of the tail weapons in the "Scorpion Tanks" had opened up and were taking pot shots at it. One shot got frighteningly close, and the image on the screen was replaced by static.

O'Neill was about to order the last UAV launched when he realized it wouldn't be necessary. Dusters 2 and 6 were airborne again and headed for the Goa'uld vehicles. He watched as they sped to close the distance, trying to get into position to coordinate an attack with the defensive line. He could see on his screens that the enemy was still coming on steady and would be in range of the skirmish line in a matter of minutes.

All across the line, targeting scopes scanned back and forth across the cloud of dust that was closing in on the horizon, looking for an early shot at the bad guys. The helicopters had a better view, and were already zeroing in on the massive artificial beasts.

"Steady..." Duster 2 prompted on the radio net. "Steady...!"

The minutes crawled past, ticking inexorably away as O'Neill bit his lip and watched. Then suddenly the radio was alive with calls of "Target!" and "Good Shot!" as the Scorpion Tanks came into full view.

"Fire at will!" O'Neill yelled into the radio.

A second later, a wave of a dozen or so optically-tracked missiles of various sizes streaked through the air and across the sand to intercept the Scorpion Tanks. The Jaffa drivers immediately tried to evade, but not all were successful. The helicopters each scored a "head" shot on a tank, knocking one cockpit off its hinges and blowing in the canopy of the other. In both cases the Selket Guard driving was knocked out, and the two machines weaved around uncontrolled till they crashed into sand dunes. A third tank lost one of its large, fragile legs to a missile from a desert vehicle and overbalanced, trapping itself in the sand. The Selket pilot, enraged, activated her claw and tail weapons and sent a barrage of energy blasts screaming at the Tau'Ri defenders.

The blasts were so large that they left wakes in the sand as they traveled, and the skirmish line was hurt badly as they hit, blowing up a desert vehicle and a recon team. The line scattered and tried to regroup on the advance, reloading missiles and moving in on the Scorpion Tanks as the remaining Jaffa machines opened fire, closing in fast.

O'Neill watched the firefight in awe as energy blasts and missile trails crisscrossed in the air. The helicopters had expended all their TOW missiles and had veered off, but Duster 2 was blown up by a tail weapon. Duster 6 sped away to rearm as the combat dune buggies moved close in an effort to outmaneuver the tanks' claw weapons. It did them no good. Smaller energy weapons were mounted in the flanks of the heads. The Selket pilots scythed short-ranged blasts across their path, trying to catch the Tau'Ri vehicles in murderous defensive fire. Another of the buggies was upended when a series of blasts incinerated the crew operating it.

O'Neill grimaced with each loss his command suffered, feeling it every bit as if he himself were dying. Yet he knew they had to go on. They were doing better than they had any right to expect, and any loss of momentum could be disastrous. "Road Runner, Command! Fall back and act as point defense for the city! I want all recon teams to reload and go to ground. Get _behind_ the tanks, don't try to hit them head on! Cromwell, get that chopper reloaded pronto!!"

Acknowledgments sounded from the radio as O'Neill adjusted his cameras again. The three intact Scorpion Tanks had formed up and were headed straight for the city. "Martouf! Bra'tac! They're headed for the Northwest corner! Coordinate with the dune buggies and lay into the Snakes when they get into range!" As he watched the dune buggies pull away and the foot patrols scatter, the Colonel hoped they'd screwed up the enemy's plans enough that he wouldn't try to encircle the city with the tanks. He adjusted his cameras again, this time taking a closer look at the disabled Scorpion Tanks.

"Oh, shit!" He said. He'd been wondering what was taking the Snakes so long to play their trump card.

* * *

M'Toth was firing her cockpit cannons in blind rage, trying to blast the retreating Tau'Ri vehicles into dust. Enemy foot soldiers were sneaking around the rest of the advancing Jaffa force, presumably to get into positions behind the line of advance. The Selket Guard cursed the lucky shot that blew off her death walker's leg and ruined the fragile balance of its stride. It was still mobile but could not advance properly missing one of its forelegs and partially buried in the sand as it had become with the fall. Righting it and getting moving would take time.

It was time she wouldn't get. One of the Tau'Ri blew off another leg on the same side with a shoulder-fired rocket. The walker came to rest on its side in the sand, unable to move normally at all. M'Toth screamed and fired her cockpit guns, but her vehicle was at an awkward angle and they didn't hit anything. She fervently wished the Goddess had equipped the vehicle with proper antipersonnel weapons for such a contingency.

Then she remembered: The vehicle was already designed to carry the ultimate antipersonnel weapon.

It was early, and she was too far away, but the assault plan hadn't counted on the Tau'Ri being so effective at stopping the walkers. With this in mind, she pressed a contact on her control panel.

* * *

O'Neill watched as a large set of doors opened on the back of the tank with the missing legs. When they were fully opened, a contingent of Horus and Selket Guards poured out of them. The Jaffa were looking around to get their bearings as O'Neill counted and multiplied. He got on the radio. "All right, listen up. The tanks are troop carriers! We have Horus and Selket Guards, call it fifty in each machine. That makes the infantry force battalion strength! Recon teams fall back and regroup with Road Runner Team! Do _not_ try to engage the Snakes in strength! Wall Security, get ready to add antipersonnel weapons to the mix!"

The foot patrols disengaged and sprinted back toward the city before the Jaffa could get their bearings and bring their staff weapons to bear. Some didn't make it, and were cut down by energy blasts. The Jaffa commanding the short company of guards swore when he realized how far away from the target they were. Then he noticed the other two immobilized walkers and saw that the troops inside couldn't get out. One of those walkers carried the two First Primes. He dispatched two teams to help get the guards out of those vehicles, then advanced at a run with the rest.

* * *

They were trying to keep up with the three intact death walkers, which were on a straight path toward the city and trading fire with the Tau'Ri vehicles. The original plan had been to surround the city with the walkers and disembark close to the walls. With three of them out of commission that was no longer an option. The Selket Guard pilots were improvising, making their way in force to one single assault point. It simplified the defenders' task, but allowed the greatest concentration of force to be brought to bear.

* * *

Anubis and Bastet were the first to crawl out of the walker when it was opened from the outside. Sia's First Prime cursed when she realized what had happened to her machines and their pilots, while Ra's First Prime surveyed the battle and cursed for a different reason.

"What incompetence is this?!" He yelled, as he watched missile trails reach out for the walkers and their troops. "Your women were supposed to get all of us much closer!"

Bastet let her cooler head prevail as she answered. "Apparently the Tau'Ri and their allies are better equipped than we realized."

"Than _you_ realized!! You were supposed find out what the Tau'Ri had and report it! Why did you not know of their missile weapons?"

"It was not as if I could simply walk up to the gate and conduct a survey!" Bastet shot back, then their attention was drawn to the other disabled walker. The recovery team had just cracked its doors open and the Jaffa inside were climbing out.

"I suggest we concentrate on the matter at hand," she said. "There will be time for recriminations later."

Anubis snarled at her, then looked around at the nearby Horus and Selket Guards. "Jaffa, KREE!" He yelled. "For the gods..._ADVANCE!!!"_

He and Bastet donned their full helmets, then led the charge of the Jaffa from the disabled walkers.

* * *

"Damn, look at them move!" O'Neill grunted as he watched the Snake infantry advance. He got on the radio. "Half the enemy force is advancing on foot! The rest is still in the Scorpion Tanks! Take those things out! Daniel, get one of your units outside the walls to reinforce the skirmish line!" He saw that Duster 6 was back in the air. "Duster 6, antipersonnel mission! I want you to rain 50 caliber rounds on the invaders!"

The 500-D sped off to comply as Jackson scrambled to get a quarter of his Abydonian defenders to the outer perimeter through side gates in the walls. Martouf and Bra'tac had now concentrated their force on the Northwest Corner, firing staff blasts and LAW missiles at the advancing tanks in conjunction with the fire from the remaining Road Runners and recon teams. A concentration of fire blew a Scorpion Tank apart as the Jaffa got to point blank range, but return fire from the survivors destroyed another desert vehicle and sent the last one dodging for its life.

Meanwhile, Duster 6 was strafing the Jaffa infantry mercilessly, trying to thin out the herd as much as possible. The enemy was smart enough to get low and spread out as he made his passes, but the two "First Prime" types--the ones wearing the dog and cat helmets--were his primary targets. If he could cut off the heads of the Snakes, he might bring this action to a close that much sooner.

* * *

Anubis and Bastet stayed together as they tried to scatter their ground force in an effort to avoid the _hellee-copter_ and its projectile weapon.

The First Primes kept track of their forces as they ran. Some of the Jaffa were trying to bring the Tau'Ri aircraft down with their staff weapons, but it was agile, and as it avoided each blast it seemed more and more determined to kill as many Jaffa as possible.

This situation was intolerable. Bastet was determined to get it back on course. "Over there!" She called to Anubis over the din. "That dune! We can take cover there!"

Anubis looked where she pointed for a second, then sprinted that way, not seeing as Bastet paused and headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

The head Snakes were splitting up. Duster 6 decided that he could no longer afford to be subtle. He expended two of his TOW missiles, using them as mortars in an effort to kill the First Primes by effect.

The double explosion hurled Bastet fifty feet and knocked her out. Anubis was not so lucky. He was closer, and the blast pressed him into the sand.

* * *

"Nice one, 6!" O'Neill cheered, just before a staff blast blew off the chopper's tail. It corkscrewed into the sand and caught fire, causing the Colonel to choke back bile. He forced his attention back to the mission at hand, taking another look at his screens. The two remaining Scorpion Tanks were almost on top of the wall. They had all their weapons raised, and O'Neill could see the troops on the walls scatter in anticipation of what was coming.

The Scorpions let loose, and six massive energy blasts disintegrated the Northwest Corner of the city wall, the shockwave throwing troops helter-skelter and kicking up a sandstorm. When the fire cleared and the noise died there was a gap in the sandstone barrier big enough for both tanks to drive through.

But the tanks weren't going in. Instead they continued to fire into the gap, providing cover for the Jaffa they were now deploying from their backs. The survivors of the strafing runs and ground defenses were linking up with the fresh troops, and together the swarm of Snakes was headed right for the gap.

"Breach, Daniel, Breach!!" O'Neill called. "They brought down the wall at the Northwest!!"

"Already moving!" Was Jackson's reply.

"Teal'c, get down there!" O'Neill said. "Screw flying watch! Just get those things!"

Teal'c had no problem obeying. O'Neill felt the super death glider dip and dive at the Scorpion Tanks. The machine unleashed a fury of energy blasts on the enemy machines, blasting them to pieces.

The surviving Jaffa dodged hot debris as they advanced onward. There was about four feet of wall left across the gap. The Selket and Horus Guards were barreling toward it, ready to hurl themselves over it and into the city.

They got within a hundred feet. Fifty of Jackson's Abydonian defenders beat them to the wall, climbing the debris from the other side and forming a ragged firing line. All of them let loose on the Jaffa, emptying their clips at full auto and reloading as rapidly as possible. Several of the surviving wall defenders joined them as the Abydonians outside the wall and the surviving recon troops came in from all directions. Soon the Jaffa invasion force was decimated in a hail of energy blasts, rocket-propelled grenades and bullets.

Finally, _finally_, the shooting died down, the din of battle disappeared, and the super death glider circled the battle area, allowing O'Neill to see the results of the defense plan his teammate had come up with. His estimate of the allied force's losses left a bad taste in his mouth, but they had done it. They had stopped the armies of Ra and Sia at the Abydonians' doorstep.

"Cromwell," he said into the radio, "secure the area. Get search and rescue and security teams out, get the wounded to the field hospital. Cromwell...no more prisoners." It was a grim command, but the last thing his battered force needed to deal with was the need to watch over Jaffa POWs.

"We have won a great victory here today, O'Neill." Teal'c said, his deadpan only just hiding the pride he was feeling.

"It was just the first battle," O'Neill said. "Next, we get Carter back...and win the war."

* * *

**NEXT: THE END OF RA.**


	6. The End of Ra

**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Sci-Fi Originals, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all the loyal readers of the story, and thanks for all the reviews! Now here comes the payoff!

BTW, (This doesn't really have anything to do with the story. It's just something that keeps bugging me.) A lot of SG-1 fanfic authors arm the team with P-90 assault weapons, which I hadn't seen until recently. Now that I have, I don't get the appeal. Is there some significant advantage that the P-90 has over the stock MP-5 variants or the M-16, or is it just that the other authors recognize the P-90 better, the way I recognize the other weapons better? Or is it that the P-90 is all they use in the later seasons? Anyone can tell me what's what, but I'd love to hear from a weapons expert on the subject.

**The Return of Ra: "The End of Ra"**

**by Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

It had been a very long time since Sia had felt physically ill. She was religious about her regeneration schedule, using her sarcophagus the way it was meant to be used, regularly and for set periods of time. She also rarely did work more strenuous than that required for her experiments. She hardly ever left the confines of her ship when she was away from her seat of power, so she never subjected herself to the often risky environments of the worlds she ruled personally. She had been a stranger to ill health for literally centuries, and there was no reason at all for her not to continue the estrangement for centuries to come.

Which made it all the more surprising that she had felt her gorge rise in her throat as she had watched the battle to retake Abydos. Three hundred Jaffa, six Death Walkers and six Death Gliders had been sent to the miners' city to bring the slaves and turncoats within under heel. The outcome should have been obvious, should have been set in _stone!_

But the slaves and turncoats had fought back! And had won! And were now most likely planning a counterattack! All her planning, all her _contingency_ planning, had been for naught.

As she walked through the halls of her Sphinx Ship, having just transported from Ra's Pyramid, she tried to consider the situation logically, but her emotions wouldn't die down. She felt anger, frustration and despair all at once, and saw few options for resolving her problems.

Her stress showed on her face as she walked into her lab, and it apparently pleased Major Samantha Carter no end. A sly smirk appeared on the blond Tau'Ri's face when she saw her captor's expression. "Why, Goddess, thank you for coming." Carter said. "To be honest, I didn't expect you so soon. I thought you'd be out celebrating our great victory over the treasonous vermin of Ra's beautiful desert world."

The Selket Guard guarding Carter was about to swing her staff weapon into the Major's abdomen, but Sia stopped her with a gesture, then got very close to Carter and spoke in a low, grave tone. "I am in a very bad mood. You might want to consider that before you aggravate me further."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I _wrong_ in assuming that your triumph over the Great One's enemies was nothing less than spectacular?"

"I'm sure you've deduced the outcome for yourself. Does it please you to see my hopes dashed before my eyes?"

"Well, since you said we should be completely honest with each other...I'm ecstatic." Carter broke into a wide grin with that, and was surprised to see Sia grin back.

"Ecstacy is a wonderful feeling. May it sustain you through the hell you are about to experience." Then Sia raised her right hand, which was now adorned with a jeweled ribbon device--her own, decorated with the mask of a wise old man.

Carter's eyes darted to the device as the jewel in the center began to glow, and her expression became serious, but she didn't flinch or try to back away. "You can't kill me as long as Ra lives." She said.

"You'd be amazed at what you can live through," Sia said, eyes glowing, "and if I get a little..._overzealous_, I can always put you in my sarcophagus. Ra would never have to know."

Carter looked back at the Goa'uld. "So then you _don't_ want to know what I've discovered about Ra's condition? It's nothing, really, just that I think I know how to slow the progress of the illness and give us more time to stop it."

"Is that why you requested my presence? Are you really so clever?"

The smirk came back. "I guess you'll never know. You'll be too busy torturing me. Oh, well. I'm ready if you are." Carter squared her shoulders and closed her eyes, as if bracing for the pain she was sure would never come. She was right, but was startled when the ribbon-armed hand gently stroked her cheek. She opened her eyes and stared into Sia's as the alien's slender fingertips came to rest under her chin.

"There's no need for us to be rude to each other." Sia said. "Please, continue."

* * *

Bastet revived to the sound of weapons fire. Every part of her body hurt, but her nascent Goa'uld was already repairing the damage. Still, she had a hard time moving, but she managed to open her eyes a little, just enough to see a new problem headed her way.

The Abydonians and their allies were out of the city in force, policing the battlefield under the watchful eye of one of the hellee-copters. They were moving about the carnage, retrieving the bodies of their wounded and killed friends and putting bullets into the Jaffa that they came across. Each shot was carefully placed, two shots through the abdomen and one shot through the head, the better to guarantee that the Jaffa stayed dead.

Bastet knew she had to get away, somehow. The prospects looked grim. Even if she could move normally, the moment she tried to break into a run the Tau'Ri aircraft would be upon her before she could get very far, or even reach the shelter of one of the disabled walkers. If its massive gun didn't kill her, it would call in ground troops from the mopping up force to hunt her down.

Trying to keep her movements as small as possible, she looked around for some closer hiding place. She realized that the explosive that knocked her out left a crater nearby. If she could bury herself in the still smouldering hole, the enemy might assume she'd been killed in the blast, and she could hide out there until nightfall and return to the Goddess after the rebels retreated behind the walls.

She crawled backwards toward the hole, slowly, sparingly, trying not to attract anyone's attention, hoping she could make it before the search line reached her.

* * *

"Wipe." Doctor Janet Frasier ordered as she worked on a human patient's abdomen. An Abydonian ran a cool, absorbent cloth across Frasier's forehead. The Air Force surgeon thought that the Abydonian healers made great nurses, once they learned a few basic commands in English and were schooled on the concept of proper sterilization. They were certainly very useful at this moment, as more and more wounded were brought in from the battlefield.

Frasier had brought practically the whole medical department of Stargate Command with her, along with four more Air Force surgeons and a slew of extra medics and technicians, and together with the Abydonians she had put together a creditable Triage operation. That operation was now running full tilt trying to keep up with the casualties.

Colonel Jack O'Neill, holding a surgical mask to his face, followed one of the stretchers into the field hospital. He stood off to the side, just inside the door, watching as the doctors conducted their grim business. Frasier noticed him as she was stitching up her current patient. She finished up, called for the patient to be moved and the table made ready for the next one, then came over to talk to O'Neill as she shed her blood-stained surgical gloves for fresh ones. "You shouldn't be in here." She scolded.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," O'Neill said, "how they were doing."

"Well, our little MASH unit seems to be doing well. There have been no major problems, and while operating conditions here are Spartan they aren't so primitive that no real work can be done. We're saving everyone who can be saved. Those we can't...well, thank goodness there aren't that many, and we're keeping them as comfortable as possible."

"Good...good." O'Neill said, really at a loss for words as he looked around and saw the blood, smelled the odors, heard the moaning of those in pain.

Frasier continued on her own. "I heard about Sam. I was wondering..."

"We'll get her back." O'Neill said, glad to be the one doing the comforting for the moment.

"Prisoner exchange?" Frasier said, curious.

"We're...not taking any prisoners to exchange."

"Oh." Frasier said, so quietly O'Neill could barely hear it through her mask. "I had wondered why we weren't getting any enemy casualties. Well, what about the female Jaffa that was in here earlier?"

"Too unimportant. They all are, really. Jaffa are expendable, and if the Snakes realize what they have in Carter giving them all back wouldn't mean anything. Besides, I need that Jaffa. I'm not done squeezing her for information."

Frasier nodded her understanding, then glanced back at the new patient waiting for her. She left as an Abydonian helped her prepare for the next surgery. "Do what you need to, Colonel." She called back. "We're fine here, and these people will be fine, too."

O'Neill nodded himself, then left as quickly as he could. He was met outside the field hospital by his commanders, Teal'c, Martouf, Bra'tac, Colonel Cromwell and Daniel Jackson. "Okay, Cromwell, let's hear it."

Cromwell cleared his throat and gave his report. "We have 26 KIA and 59 wounded among our force, most of whom were lost when the Snakes penetrated the wall. The subsequent energy barrage destroyed several buildings in the city, resulting in a great deal of collateral damage. Right now the count is at 123 civilians killed and wounded, and we have yet to clean up all the rubble. SGC and Abydonian troops are assisting in the recovery. The mopping up operation is going smoothly. No nasty surprises so far. We should have the battlefield 'sanitized' within the next hour and a half."

"'Sanitized'," Jackson said. "Such a nice euphemism for summary executions."

"Daniel, we've been through this." O'Neill said.

"They would show us no mercy if the situations were reversed, Daniel." Martouf said.

"I know! I know...it's just...look at all this destruction! All this death, just because of the ambitions of a race of slimy eels."

"Don't think of the death, Daniel Jackson." Bra'tac said. "Think of the lives that are being saved right now, and those that have been saved and made free through our actions here today!"

"I suppose..." Jackson said, seeking comfort in Bra'tac's words. "Speaking of saving lives..." He said to O'Neill.

"Cromwell," O'Neill said, "how soon can you get an assault force together?"

"As soon as we're done outside," Cromwell said, "and can set up a security force for the city."

"What is your plan, O'Neill?" Teal'c said.

"We're going to finish what we started here...and get Major Carter back."

"I wish to accompany the assault force, O'Neill."

"I'm coming, too." Jackson said.

"We're _all _going! Daniel, once we get a force together I need you to find out if Kasuf can arrange some fast transportation for it. This ends today! We kicked the Head Snake off this world once! We can do it again, to him and his girlfriend!"

* * *

"And you are sure of all this?" Sia asked.

"I know how you feel about accuracy." Carter said. "I wouldn't be telling you if I didn't think the theory was sound."

The Major didn't think it was possible, but the Goa'uld looked even more annoyed than when she first entered the lab. "Do you know what I planned to use this weapon for?" Sia said.

"I can guess." Carter said. "I couldn't understand at first why you used this material for a primer charge, but then I took a look at your notes on the properties of the alloy. Once it impacts with sufficient force against a solid object, its molecules enter a highly unstable energized state, which goes through several fluctuations in frequency until it reaches a peak, then dissipates explosively, emitting radiation in every possible spectrum, across the entire EM range. In that state, no energy field or massive object can resist being affected by it.

"This is what you were going to breach the iris with, isn't it? The energy of the primary charge detonation could cross the wormhole threshold and weaken the iris, leaving it vulnerable to the main warhead in the bomb, which would blow it outward, opening the Earth Stargate."

"And what makes you think I won't still use it?"

"I'm counting on the fact that you won't break your promise to Ra, and the easiest way for you to keep that promise _and_ save him is for you to dismantle that bomb and break the alloy back into its components. Sia, I just told you all the factors exacerbating Ra's condition: the duality of his physiognomy, the fact that he's here at Abydos, being bombarded by the particulate remains of the original, the use of the sarcophagus and the radiation put out by this alloy. Eliminate even one of these factors and he could live for years, if not forever, but right now he'll be lucky if he has hours. If you detonate that bomb, the residual effects will cross the universe, and his existence from that moment on may only be measured in minutes!"

"Nonsense! I've already tested the device!"

"Before or after you brought him back?"

"Before, but..."

"Then that's one more factor working against him. Through quantum connection and the Stargate network the effects of that detonation have been propagating throughout the galaxy. You can't take the risk of another detonation killing him outright.

"We can move the Pyramid ship and get him away, we can redesign the sarcophagus so that it will work around the problem, but only dismantling all of these bombs will keep the Entropic Cascade Failure from advancing so rapidly. How many did you make?"

"Just two." Sia said, more stunned than annoyed at this point. How could she have been so short-sighted? How could this slave have seen what she missed, what she didn't even consider? She didn't want to believe what she was hearing, but the more she considered it... "Just two." She repeated. "One to test and one to deploy."

"Sia, I want Ra to live because it saves my world. You want him to live because it will save yours. We're on the same side at this moment. We've got to dismantle the bomb, right now."

Sia grimaced, trying to come up with an alternative. For now, she couldn't think of any. Finally she said: "Very well. Come with me."

* * *

Bastet lay perfectly still, trying not even to breathe. It would have been hard anyway, with her head half-buried in the sand. She'd made it to the crater without being spotted, and was praying that the Tau'Ri soldiers now searching around it would go away without trying too hard to determine if she was dead. It seemed that her prayers would not be answered. She heard the sound of soldiers sliding down the sand toward her.

"This one's probably just like the other one." A voice said.

"Still gotta check." Another voice said. "I hear those Gould things can rebuild you from scratch."

They were getting very close, and Bastet contemplated attacking the two soldiers. The move would save her for the moment if she won, but would doom her as soon as their friends realized they were gone.

Fortunately, someone else had decided to take the risk. "All Units!" A voice from the soldiers' radios crackled. "Converge on Wreck Three! Snakes on the move! Repeat, Snakes moving!" There was the distant sound of staff weapon fire, and the soldiers coming down to inspect her rushed out of the crater to assist.

Bastet buried herself even deeper in the sand. She'd wait as long as she could, then try to make it back to the Sphinx without being spotted.

* * *

Sia and Carter were standing over the disassembled components of the Breach Weapon some time later. The alien had a scowl on her face, staring at the parts on the floor before them and mourning what they used to be.

"It would have been my gift to the Sun God." Sia said quietly.

"We're doing the right thing." Carter said. Sia glared at her.

"Do _not_ seek to comfort me, Tau'Ri." Sia said. "You serve only your own purposes."

"And yours." Carter said, thinking _More is the pity_. She hadn't expected the Goa'uld to give in so easily. Letting her keep the bomb would have been risky, of course, but not as risky as having Ra around for any longer than necessary. She was hoping Sia would balk, get indignant in that famous Goa'uld uppity way and insist that another option be considered, prolonging the bomb's effect on Ra. Carter decided that she must have stated her case better than she expected. Sia was definitely a sucker for logic.

Still, they hadn't destroyed the primer charge yet, and that was the most dangerous thing to Ra and the Earth Stargate. Carter walked over to the casing it was in and picked it up. The material glowed a dull red color as she examined it in her hand. She knew the radiation was affecting her and Sia as well, but they would both recover from the minimal exposure as long as they got rid of it soon. Ra wouldn't be so lucky.

"How do we break this stuff down?" She asked Sia.

"I do not know." Sia said. "It took me a year of non-stop research just to synthesize it."

"Then we have to get it as far away from him as possible until we can find a way. If you let me go, I can..."

"'Let you go?' Why would I do that?"

"Do your forces control the Abydos 'Gate? No. Mine do. If I can take this there I can send it to a remote planet, where its effects would be negligible. Then, we can pick it up later and destroy it when Ra is safe."

"Or, I could imprison you with the material in this ship, send_ it_ into space and then send it to a remote planet. Do not think that because I am bound to obey Ra's order to keep you alive I will let you run amok."

Carter chided herself for overplaying her hand. "All right...then what if we get Ra away? Send his pyramid offworld..."

"Ra _must_ stay! If he does not take back his own world..."

"If he stays on his 'own world' its environment will kill him! If he stays near us while this device is on this ship _it_ will kill him! Everything around him at this very moment speeds up his Cascade Failure!"

"Ra _must_ stay here! I _must _stay at his side! You will have to find another way to slow the process!" Sia forced herself to calm down. "This is ridiculous. I will transport the charge to my mothership and send it away, then you and I will go back to the laboratory and continue to work on a way to counteract the effects Abydos's environment are having on him."

Carter could see she was at an impasse, but at least she'd seen a little of the indignance she'd wanted. She just hoped Ra didn't die before...

"Goddess!" A servant called as she ran into the room. Sia's eyes flashed as she turned on the girl, who immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head.

"I left specific instructions that I was not to be disturbed!" Sia raged.

The servant shivered as she spoke. "Y-yes, Goddess, but this is very..."

"Just spit it out!!"

"The rebels...they're _advancing_!"

* * *

It was the most ragtag convoy O'Neill had ever been in, and it was certainly the worst ride, but Kasuf had come through, and now he cradled an M16/M203 combined weapon in his arms, aching for the opportunity to use it.

Sixty "allied" troops were packed into two grain carts pulled at full gallop by two Mastadges each. O'Neill and Jackson were with the troops in the first cart, while Martouf, Cromwell and Bra'tac rode in the second. The carts were traveling in line behind the last desert vehicle, which kicked up dust as it weaved through the desert sands. Duster 5 and the Super Death Glider were flying high cover for the convoy. Teal'c was especially glad to be flying a real warcraft again. All of the communications and surveillance equipment had been stripped off.

The final phase of Operation Sundown called for an attack on Ra's Pyramid, but didn't take into account Sia bringing her own ship or Carter getting captured. O'Neill decided that they'd just have to improvise.

* * *

Bastet was surprised that the soldiers never came back after being called away to assault the other Jaffa. At first she'd thought that they'd simply convinced their superiors that she was dead, but when she finally dared to crawl out of hiding and look around, she realized that the group had been called away to more pressing matters.

She heard the passage before she was in a position to see it, so by the time she reached the lip of the crater the rebel assault column was already receding into the distance. The enemy was heading to attack the Goa'uld landing ships, traveling as fast as the Abydonian beasts of burden could draw their carts. Bastet knew there was no way she could get back before the attack started, especially not on foot.

She looked back toward the city. She didn't relish attempting to get back inside the complex, but it was her only way out of this situation.

* * *

"We detected the column with our long range scanners." A Jaffa was telling Sia in her throne room. "They are being protected by the super Death Glider that captured the _chaapa'ai_ and one of the Tau'Ri hellee-copters."

"They are coming for you, Samantha Carter." Sia said to her captive.

"Actually," Carter said, "they're coming for _you_...and Ra."

"They won't get very far." Sia said. "I can simply have them destroyed from orbit. Contact the mother ship. Tell them..."

"Um, Goddess...in anticipation of your order I have been trying to contact the orbiting ships. Apparently...the signals are not getting through."

Sia looked confused, then angry as understanding came over her. She turned to look at Carter, who simply stood there with her hands behind her back and smiled. "When I realized we might have to combat assault Ra's Pyramid, I asked my friends in the Tok'Ra to bring something for the occasion."

* * *

"Is that thing actually working?" Cromwell asked Martouf as he manipulated a Goa'uld communications device. It had been modified to create jamming signals on all frequencies at close range.

"We're not being blasted from orbit!" Bra'tac answered for Martouf. "I'd say that is sufficient evidence that it is doing its job!"

"Actually, Colonel," Martouf said, "it works better the closer we get to the landing ships." He then took a moment to look up. In the distance the very top of the head of Sia's Sphinx was coming into view.

In the other cart, O'Neill got on his radio and called their air support. "Duster 5, Teal'c! Make your attack runs!"

Everyone watched as the helicopter and Death Glider surged ahead.

* * *

"How do they plan to 'get' us?" Sia asked.

"Oh, _now_ you want tactical information from me?" Carter said. "I thought you had Jaffa to do your tactical planning for you."

"If Ra dies, you die. Tell me their plan."

"I've lived a full life. Figure it out for yourself."

"You've been waiting for this, stalling for time until your friends could come save you! I should have known not to put my faith in a Tau'Ri! I suppose nothing you said about Ra's condition is the truth?"

"Actually, it's all true...except the 'I'll help you save him' part."

"Even after we got him to promise to leave your world unharmed?"

"Where I come from on my world, we traditionally consider freedom more important than life."

Sia's eyes glowed in time with the jewel on her ribbon device. She was enraged at having allowed herself to be manipulated by this human. She'd made a dreadful mistake, one she intended to correct. "Very well," she said as she raised her hand, "I hereby grant you _freedom_. Enjoy your last few seconds of it!"

Before she could touch the jewel to Carter's forehead, the throne room lurched to the side as the head swung to meet a threat. Carter, Sia and the Jaffa were thrown around. Carter looked out of the window in time to see energy blasts escaping from the Sphinx's eyes, then the Major's eyes went wide when she saw energy blasts coming right back. The incoming energy rattled the entire structure with explosions, keeping everyone in the throne room scrambling to stay up.

Carter got to her feet first as an explosion blew in the massive bay window. The blast threw her down again but she managed to get up to her knees as Sia started to pull herself up. The Goa'uld looked around for her captive, and her heart nearly stopped when she found Carter and saw what she had in her hands.

She hadn't been paying attention when she brought the Tau'Ri with her to the throne room. Carter was still holding the Breach Weapon's primer charge, and she was headed for the open window.

"Stop her!!" Sia yelled to her Jaffa. "_Kill_ her before..."

The head of the Sphinx slewed again, cutting off Sia's order with its motion. Carter managed to stay on her feet and lurch to the window. She had decided that if she was going to die, she'd take as many of the Snakes with her as she could. She dodged 'zat' and staff blasts as she moved, cradling the charge in her arm like a football. Finally she reached the window and looked back. She waited for one more barrage of energy blasts before hurling the charge back into the room and diving out of the window.

"Noooo!!!" Sia screamed.

A bright red flash of light accompanied a powerful concessive blast that Carter felt as she plummeted to the sand below. She only idly wondered if Sia survived the explosion. She was too busy trying to survive the fall. Carter spread her arms and legs out, trying to slow her descent and steer herself to a soft dune and away from the paws of the Sphinx. The landing would be very painful, but hopefully it wouldn't be fatal.

* * *

Teal'c noticed the last explosion as he finished swinging around for the next pass at the head. It wasn't the same as the other explosions that had been caused by his weapons. The red tint to the blast was odd to say the least. He saw that someone had been blown clear of the Sphinx when the blast went off. He knew he was far off, but it didn't look like a Jaffa...

It cannot be!

He slammed the throttles to their stops. He knew he had only seconds.

* * *

Carter was counting the microseconds as the sands got closer and closer. She hadn't slowed herself down enough. Oh, well, she thought, it _has_ been a full life. _'Bye Dad, Janet, Cassie, General, Te--_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of gray and an impact with something solid that hurt like hell but didn't kill her. She had to flail to grab onto the big object that suddenly snatched her from the air. As she finally got a hold of the thing she felt a swift lateral motion. Her eyes were wide with shock. _What the f--?_

Then she looked straight ahead and realized she was gazing into the cockpit of the Death Glider! She could only guess that Teal'c had seen her fall and had matched her rate of descent enough to catch her. A big grin crossed her face and she peppered the cockpit glass with kisses when she saw Teal'c smile back. _"I LOVE you!!!!"_ She screamed at him at the top of her lungs. The Jaffa merely bowed his head before he looked for a place to set down.

* * *

"What is going on?!!" Ra demanded as he walked into his throne room. The explosions had awakened him from a much needed slumber and just after that he'd experienced the worst seizures yet. The illness seemed to be getting worse with each bout, and now he constantly felt as if he would fall apart.

"My Lord, get down!!" A Horus Guard yelled as he flew at Ra, slamming the Goa'uld down just as a hail of .50 caliber rounds slammed into the chamber through the windows. The rounds brought down two Jaffa and wounded Ra's protector. The injury didn't stop Ra from pushing him off roughly.

"What is the meaning of this?!!" Ra bellowed.

"The Tau'Ri are attacking!" The Jaffa said. "Their aircraft are shooting at us and at Sia."

"Then launch _udajeet_ to stop them!" Ra said.

* * *

They wouldn't get a chance. Duster 5 had finished his strafing run on the throne room and had moved down the opened pyramid to the launch bay, into which he fired the four TOW missiles he was mounting. The explosions detonated several gliders in the bay, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed the hangar deck and the one below it.

Meanwhile, Teal'c had resumed his attack on the Sphinx, destroying the blasters in its eyes and attacking the structure's smaller launch bay as well.

* * *

The column came to a halt at the foot of the Sphinx. Everyone's attention was drawn to the air attack as the assault team disembarked. Then, as the force surveyed their objectives, O'Neill's eyes locked on a spectator standing near one of the Sphinx's paws watching the fight.

"_Carter_?" He said, his voice displaying his disbelief.

Carter looked over and smiled. "Colonel!" She called as she ran over to the vehicles. As she got closer O'Neill could see that she was sporting several bruises and there was blood on the side of her mouth.

"What happened to you?" O'Neill said. Now everyone was staring.

"Believe me," she said, "it could have been a_ lot_ worse."

"We were just coming to get you." Daniel said.

"I managed to escape...after a fashion. I'll explain everything later. Listen, Colonel, right now Ra is as vulnerable as he's ever going to be."

"Gotcha. We'll go right now. What about Sia?"

"If she's still alive right now she's off balance."

"Let's not take any chances. Martouf, Bra'tac, the Sphinx is yours. Find a way in and do as much damage as you can until you get to Sia. Cromwell, get your guys ready and recall Duster 5. Carter, you up for doing some damage?"

"As much as I can, Sir."

"Then I've got something for you." Martouf said. He had a ribbon device of his own strapped on. He took it off and gave it to her. "It will be lighter to carry than a standard weapon. There's no reason to stress your injuries."

"Thank you." She said. O'Neill cleared his throat.

"Okay." The Colonel said. "Then you're with Danny and me. Okay people, this is it! Let's do it!"

The assault force split up. Cromwell led the smallest group to the flanks of the Pyramid. Martouf and Bra'tac led their group to the entrance to the Sphinx, while the largest group, led by O'Neill, headed straight into the Pyramid. Duster 5 and Teal'c disengaged when the ground troops went in.

* * *

Sia crawled from behind the table she'd jumped behind for cover. Her throne room was a wreck, with furniture, decorations and control devices damaged and destroyed all over. A couple of Selket Guards moaned as they lay next to others that had been killed.

Suddenly an alarm sounded. Sia cursed when she realized that there were intruders in her ship. Most of her force of Jaffa had been lost in the battle at the city, and she had no way to call up for more troops.

She got to her feet. If there were enemies in the Sphinx, then they had to also be in Ra's Pyramid. In his present condition, with so few defenders left on the surface, the Sun God would be hard pressed to save himself. He'd need help.

Sia allowed her mind to work, tapping into the intelligence that had made her a legend among the slaves of a hundred worlds. Her gambit was headed for failure. She had made mistakes, dreadful ones, errors that would have cost any servant of hers her life. Her forces were routed, her patron was endangered, and her great plan to humble the enemies of the Goa'uld had been compromised. What could she do?

She bowed her head in thought, then straightened up when she came to the only logical conclusion. With renewed purpose, she crossed the room to the transport pad. She activated the machine with the touch of a jewel on her necklace, and the rings descended with their usual ratcheting noise.

* * *

"Transport rings?" Jackson called out.

"Fastest way there!" O'Neill said as they approached. He pulled a jeweled panel out of one of his pockets. It was the remains of the gauntlet they'd recovered from the first Anubis. He handed it to an Abydonian as Carter, Jackson and three SGC troops got onto the transport pad.

"Remember, six at a time." He said to the native. The young man nodded as O'Neill stepped up, then touched the jewel when everyone was in place.

The ratcheting sounded, the blue light flashed, and the first six troops found themselves in Ra's throne room. An energy blast forced them to duck as soon as the rings ascended and O'Neill opened fire with his -16. The first group cleared the pad just before the rings descended again, firing as they moved. Three Jaffa were defending the space. All were cut down almost immediately.

As the group moved further into the room, they saw the job done by the 500-D. There were about five other Jaffa bodies scattered around, plus furniture and panels everywhere were riddled with bullets. Several child servants were huddled in a corner, quaking with fear. And just behind them, writhing in the agony of Entropic Cascade Failure, was Ra, The Sun God.

O'Neill and the others kept their weapons ready. The rest of the team was still being transported in from the pyramid. Two more Jaffa rushed in from another entrance, and they were quickly dispatched by a Chulakian with a staff weapon.

Ra's seizure had stopped by the time O'Neill halted his advance. His group was now standing at point blank range away from Ra, weapons to bear. His child servants, even through all that had happened, still stood in the way of the weapons, protecting their god. It turned O'Neill's stomach to see children used in such a way, but this time he was prepared for it.

Ra got awkwardly to his feet and glared at his enemies. He extended his right hand at them above the head of a smaller child. He was wearing his ribbon device, which was glowing. Carter concentrated on activating the ribbon device she wore as the Goa'uld backed his way to his throne.

"Ra, old buddy." O'Neill said, keeping the alien's attention on him. "Long time, no see."

Ra sneered back. "I don't remember your hair being so white." He said, then indicated Jackson. "Or the imposter's hair being so short."

"Well, that makes us even." O'Neill said. "You're a lot more _alive_ than I thought you'd be."

"The Sun always rises again." Ra said. Then he looked at Carter. "So, you are not so loyal as you pretended?"

O'Neill glanced at Carter, who directed her answer at Ra. "I remembered that I like my team better than yours."

"Oh, this is gonna be one _hell_ of a debrief." O'Neill said. As he spoke, he noticed that Ra had backed up past the throne and was trying to make it into the back chamber. He glanced out of the large windows in the room, willing Cromwell to hurry up.

"You're not getting out of this, Ra." He said. "Let the kids go and just surrender." His whole team was in the throne room now, and Carter had several of them moving to flank the Goa'uld. The children tried to compensate for the movement.

"You are _weak_!" Ra said. "That is why you will lose in the end. That is why your people will again serve mine! Your civilization's days are numbered!"

It couldn't have been timed more perfectly. Just as Ra finished speaking the sound of a helicopter rattled the throne room. Everyone's attention was drawn to one of the windows. The 500-D hovered as close as possible, straining under the weight of the four men standing on the landing skids. The four troops leaped the distance to the window and landed just inside, then leaped to tackle the children surrounding Ra and force them to the ground. Each man had an armful of angry servants pinned to the floor.

Ra was in the clear.

O'Neill's eyes narrowed as he aimed his weapon and smiled. All around him were the sounds of rounds being chambered, _zat'n'ktels_ being extended and staff weapons being primed.

"Any last words before 'The Sun' goes down?" O'Neill said.

Ra seethed where he stood, breathed heavy with rage, shook with fear, and burned with mind numbing hatred. _Damn them_, he thought, _damn them all to Hell!!!_

He raised his ribbon device with an angry scream, ready to lash out at them all. Carter beat him to the draw, and her ribbon blast sent him flying. As he soared, everyone else took aim, riddling his body with bullets and directed energy blasts. Then, just when it seemed the weapons fire would tear him apart, his form dissolved into an unrecognizable blur, and with an agonized scream Ra felt Entropic Cascade Failure take its final toll. His corpse disappeared before it hit the floor.

The Sun God had been destroyed.

After a few seconds, O'Neill lowered his weapon, looked at the puff of smoke that Ra's departure had left, then looked around at his people with a smile. "Nice." He said.

That's when the cheering began, and it was so loud O'Neill almost didn't hear his radio. He put it to one ear and covered the other one. "Go ahead, Bra'tac, and speak up!"

* * *

"I take it you were successful, O'Neill!" Bra'tac said.

"You could say that! Do you guys need assistance with Sia?"

"Not precisely." He said, as he met up with Martouf in a corridor. They'd split their group into two teams after they had beaten the few Selket Guards that were left in the Sphinx. Martouf answered Bra'tac's unasked question with a shake of the head.

"She's not aboard, O'Neill!"

"Say again?" Bra'tac heard, then he heard O'Neill quiet down the team in the pyramid. "What did you say?"

"Sia is not anywhere aboard. Martouf and I just conducted a search of the whole ship. We found many of her servants and beat all Jaffa resistence, but we could not find the Goa'uld herself."

* * *

"Sia's _gone_?" Jackson said. He couldn't believe it. "Where could she be?"

"Maybe she transported to her mothership." Carter said.

"Which means she could be targeting this whole area from orbit right now." O'Neill said. He switched channels on his radio. "Teal'c! I need an eye in the sky!"

* * *

Teal'c angled his glider up and gave it full power, arcing into the sky toward the area where the two Goa'uld mother ships should be. At full power the trip into space only took seconds. What he saw when he was in viewing and scanning range stunned him.

* * *

"The motherships are gone, O'Neill." Teal'c reported.

"Gone? You mean they're not where they were?"

"I mean they are not here at all. I completed one orbit around the planet and could find no Goa'uld ships of any kind in the vicinity. I am on my way back."

"Roger. See you when you get back." O'Neill switched off the radio, then looked at Jackson and Carter. "Geez, Carter, what did you do to scare her off? Not that I'm complaining..."

"Actually, when I..._left_, she seemed more determined than ever to kill me and everybody else. I can't imagine why she'd leave."

"Neither can I." Jackson said. "You'd think she'd try to find some way to save Ra after all the work she'd done to get him back, but she abandoned him."

"Well," O'Neill said, "I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, you know how the Snakes are. All the 'You haven't seen the last of me!' business. We'll probably bump into her again investigating a planet full of invisible bats or something."

"Jack, I don't think you get it. This isn't an ordinary Gould. Everything she has ever done has been in service to Ra, and unlike other servant-gods she actually seemed to enjoy it. Yet today, when Ra needed her most, she _abandoned_ him. For the first time in 10,000 years she decided her existence without Ra was a better option than keeping him alive. His influence over her was a _limiting_ factor, Jack. Can you imagine the damage she can do now that it's gone?"

Suddenly the events of the past few days came to O'Neill's mind. The stolen mirror, the dead Tok'Ra, the return of Ra, the attack of the Scorpion Tanks and the capture of Major Carter. As the events played over and over again in his mind, Jackson's words took on grave meaning.

"Oh." He said.

* * *

As usual after a massive campaign it took longer to withdraw than it did to deploy. None of the visiting Allies would leave the planet until the battlefield had been properly cleared and the dead were prepared for proper burial. Dr. Frasier's field hospital worked non-stop until they had taken care of every casualty of the battle, while the Tok'Ra, Chulakians and SGC personnel lent a hand in rebuilding the city. The breach in the wall was blocked with a temporary buttress until the Abydonians could arrange to rebuild that section. Those soldiers not pitching in with repairs and recovery detail helped to train the Abydonian defense force to defend against future incursions. Most of the vehicles that the SGC had sent were going back in pieces. On Earth, as the parts returned through the 'Gate, General Hammond agonized quietly over what he'd say to the Army. The SG teams also sent back as many pieces of the Scorpion Tanks as possible for study.

After the defeat of Ra, teams were sent into the Pyramid and Sphinx Ships to wreck them even more, until they were rendered useless. Carter had them stripped of all their Naquadah power sources and took special care to download as much information as possible from Sia's lab before it was destroyed.

When all this work was done, Kasuf arranged for one final grand celebration in honor of their victory. It was a big, wild party, where the heroes of the battle were encouraged to throw all cares to the wind and just have fun. Many of the things that happened during this time would remain secret for years to come.

Finally, the offworlders began to file home. The Tok'Ra returned to their secret base, while the Chulakians returned to their home, with newfound hope that their people might someday be free. Cromwell and his people left next, followed by Dr. Frasier and her staff. The SGC personnel left team by team through the 'Gate, until the only offworlders left on Abydos were the members of SG-1.

"Are you sure you must go, my son?" Kasuf said to Daniel as they hugged. "I see you so seldom. I know, you are doing very important things, but your home and your people are only a few symbols away, and there is nothing to stop you from staying in touch, especially now that we have this grand device so close."

Jackson smiled as he looked back at the activated Stargate, sitting in the center of the Abydonians' home. "I know, Good Father, and I will come more often. I promise."

"I will make sure you keep that promise." Kasuf said with a chuckle, then switched to the English Jackson had taught him to speak to the others. "I would like to see _all_ of you more often," he said, "under less trying circumstances."

"We'll be sure to stop by." O'Neill said, smiling. "Daniel, we better get back."

Jackson smiled as he and Kasuf shook hands once more, then turned away as Carter walked through the 'Gate, followed by Teal'c. O'Neill waited for Jackson at the top of the ramp, then the two of them walked through together. Kasuf watched the 'Gate until the wormhole closed, then turned and walked away, sad to see his adopted son leave, but glad to know that his people had Daniel Jackson and his friends to watch over them.

* * *

Later that night, a servant girl brought the two guards watching the 'Gate some water. They thanked her and drank deeply from the large bowl she had offered. It had been a long, dry night and they were grateful for the refreshment and the company, and she stayed and chatted with them about the events of the past few weeks. She kept right on chatting until the drugs in the water had taken their effect and the guards fell unconscious at her feet.

She thought the Tau'Ri and their cronies would _never_ leave. She'd risked much to get to this point, sneaking into the city, finding native clothes and blending in, staying hidden for all the time it took for the Tau'Ri, Tok'Ra and Chulak rebels to clean everything up and go home. Now she bounded up the ramp and grasped the bevel of the Stargate. By applying all her strength to it she managed to get it to turn. As the minutes ticked past she strained to dial one symbol after another, and it seemed an age until the symbol for Abydos was locked into the top stylus.

She ducked as the wormhole opened. The noise would bring people out, she was sure, but it didn't matter. She stripped off her native robes and hood. Standing there in a short tunic and breeches, she took one last look at the city of the slaves and sneered. The tattoo of the mask of an old man gleamed on her forehead in the light of the event horizon.

With a final, silent oath of vengeance, Bastet stepped through the Stargate.

**THE END**


End file.
